Methods and systems for processing charge availability and route paths for obtaining charge for electric vehicles

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for providing charge options to drivers of electric vehicles are provided. One method includes receiving data concerning charge providing availability from charge locations and receiving a request from processing logic of an electric vehicle, the request identifying a desire to obtain charge. The method includes determining a current location of the electric vehicle and determining identification of charge locations in proximity to the electric vehicle. The method further includes determining any sponsored rewards offered by the charge locations and communicating to the electric vehicle a path to one of the charge locations, where the path is identified with a sponsored reward offered at the charge location if the path is selected and charge is obtained. The method can be processed by a server and paths are communicated to vehicles to alert drivers of the electric vehicles of rewards or discounts if charge is obtained from certain locations.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/478,436, filed on Apr. 22, 2011, and entitledElectric Vehicle (EV) Range Extending Charge Systems, DistributedNetworks of Charge Kiosks, and Charge Locating Mobile Apps”, which isherein incorporated by reference.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/452,882, entitled “Electric Vehicle (EV) Range Extending ChargeSystems, Distributed Networks of Charge Kiosks, and Charge LocatingMobile Apps”, filed on the same date as the present application, andwhich is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to systems and methods that enableoperators of electric vehicles (EV) to obtain charge and informationregarding charge availability and reward or sponsored chargingincentives for users of electric vehicles to select certain chargelocations to receive charge.

BACKGROUND

Electric vehicles have been utilized for transportation purposes andrecreational purposes for quite some time. Electric vehicles require abattery that powers an electric motor, and in turn propels the vehiclein the desired location. The drawback with electric vehicles is that therange provided by batteries is limited, and the infrastructure availableto users of electric vehicles is substantially reduced compared tofossil fuel vehicles. For instance, fossil fuel vehicles that utilizegasoline and diesel to operate piston driven motors represent a majorityof all vehicles utilized by people around the world. Consequently,fueling stations are commonplace and well distributed throughout areasof transportation, providing for easy refueling at any time. For thisreason, fossil fuel vehicles are generally considered to have unlimitedrange, provided users refuel before their vehicles reach empty.

On the other hand, owners of electric vehicles must carefully plan theirdriving routes and trips around available recharging stations. For thisreason, many electric vehicles on the road today are partially electricand partially fossil fuel burning. For those vehicles that are pureelectric, owners usually rely on charging stations at their privateresidences, or specialty recharging stations. However specialtyrecharging stations are significantly few compared to fossil fuelstations. In fact, the scarcity of recharging stations in and aroundpopulated areas has caused owners of electric vehicles to coin thephrase “range anxiety,” to connote the possibility that their drivingtrips may be limited in range, or that the driver of the electricvehicle will be stranded without recharging options. It is this problemof range anxiety that prevents more than electric car enthusiasts fromswitching to pure electric cars, and abandoning their expensive fossilfuel powered vehicles.

It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.

SUMMARY

Embodiments are described with reference to methods and systems forproviding auxiliary charging mechanisms that can be integrated orcoupled to a vehicle, to supplement the main battery of a vehicle. Theauxiliary charging mechanism can be in the form of an auxiliary batterycompartment that can receive a plurality of charged batteries. Theauxiliary battery compartment can be charged without the vehicle, andcan be installed or placed in the vehicle to provide supplemental chargeto the vehicles main battery. Thus, if the main battery becomesdrained/used, the auxiliary battery compartment, having a plurality ofcharged batteries, can resume providing charge to the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary battery compartment is configured tohold a plurality of smaller batteries, referred to herein as “voltbars.” A volt bar should also be interchangeably viewed to be a “chargeunit.” The charge unit is a physical structure that holds charge, asdoes a battery. A charge unit can also be a fraction of charge, whichmay be contained in a physical structure.

Broadly speaking, a volt bar is a battery that can be inserted into anauxiliary battery carrier. The auxiliary battery carrier, orcompartment, can be lifted by human and placed into a vehicle, such asthe trunk of the vehicle. The auxiliary charging carrier can then beremoved from the vehicle to provide charge to the volt bars containedwithin the auxiliary battery carrier. For instance, owners of electricvehicles can purchase an auxiliary battery carrier and fill theauxiliary battery carrier with a plurality of volt bars.

In one embodiment, the user will charge all of the volt bars by chargingthe auxiliary battery carrier before the auxiliary battery carrier isplaced into the vehicle. In one embodiment, the auxiliary batterycarrier, and its volt bars can be charged utilizing the charge providedfrom the main battery. For instance, if the vehicle is charged overnightutilizing the primary charging receptacle, and the auxiliary batterycarrier is connected to the vehicle (containing volt bars), the voltbars in the auxiliary battery carrier will also be charged. In oneembodiment, once the main battery and the vehicle are charged, thecharge will then be transferred to the volt bars contained in theauxiliary battery carrier. As such, charging the vehicle will accomplishthe task of charging the main battery as well as the auxiliary batterycarrier that includes a plurality of volt bars. In another embodiment,the volt bars can be directly inserted into slots defined on the vehicleitself. In this example, manufacturers will design compartments that canaccept one or more volt bars, thus eliminating the need for an auxiliarybatter carrier. The compartments can be on the side of a vehicle with orwithout a door, in the trunk, in the passenger compartment, etc. So longas volt bars can be accepted into a receptacle and the volt bar(s) canprovide charge to the vehicle or axillary charge to the main battery,the placement of the volt bar(s) is, in one embodiment, a designconfiguration.

In one embodiment, the volt bars utilized in the auxiliary batterycarrier can be replaced with fresh batteries purchased while the user ofthe electric vehicle is on a trip or a distance from the user's homebase. For instance, volt bars can be sold utilizing a kiosk system. Thekiosk system would, in one embodiment, store available volt bars thatcan be purchased by drivers of electric vehicles while away from theirhome base. For example, the kiosk system will provide one or a pluralityof receptacles for receiving volt bars that are depleted in charge, anddispense charged volt bars to users desiring to extend the range oftheir trip. The kiosk, in one embodiment, will be coupled to a powersource that can then recharge the volt bars and make them available toother users that trade in their charge depleted volt bars.

If the user wishes to purchase volt bar without first returning acharged the depleted volt bar, the user can be charged a separate feethat is higher than if the user had returned a depleted volt bar. Thekiosk system would preferably be connected to the Internet so that usersof electric vehicles could access an application that would identifylocations of kiosk systems with available volt bars. In one embodiment,the application would include software that communicates with anapplication sitting in a central hub that manages all of the kiosksystems deployed in the field. The kiosk systems will also report thestatus of available volt bars, volt bars returned and in charging mode,available charging slots, inventory of volt bars, discounts available atparticular kiosk systems, and potential damage to volt bars that havebeen returned. By compiling this information, the kiosk system caninterface with the central hub, which provides information to usersaccessing an Internet application (mobile application), so that userscan locate the closest kiosk system or the closest kiosk system havingdiscounts.

In one embodiment, the discounts provided by the specific kiosk systemscan be programmed based on the desire to sell more volt bars at certainkiosk systems with excess inventory, or to encourage virtual routing ofvolt bars throughout geographic regions. For example, if trends aredetected by software operating on the central hub that volt bars aremigrating from East to West, a depleted inventory may be found in theEast. To encourage load-balancing of inventory, discounts can beprovided in the West, which would then cause migration of volt barstoward the east. In one embodiment, each of the kiosk systems would beenabled with software that communicates with the central hub, and thesoftware would be utilized to provide the most efficient informationregarding inventory, and operational statistics of each kiosk systemdeployed throughout a geographic region (e.g., geo-location)

In another embodiment, each kiosk system may be configured with aninterface that receives payment data from the users. Example paymentreceipts may include credit card swiping interfaces, touchscreens forfacilitating Internet payment options (PayPal), coupon verification, andcommunication of deals with friends through a social networkingapplication. These applications can be facilitated by software operatingat the kiosk station, or by software executing on the users mobiledevice, or a combination of both. In still another embodiment, each ofthe volt bars that are installed in the various kiosk stations will betracked using tracking identifiers. In one embodiment, withoutlimitation, the tracking can be facilitated using RFID tags. The RFIDtags can be tracked as users purchase, return, and charge the depletedvolt bars at the various kiosk stations.

Additionally, the volt bars will include memory for storing informationregarding number of charges, the health of the battery cells, thecurrent charging levels, and other information. Additionally, the voltbars can store information regarding the various kiosk stations that thevolt bars have been previously been installed in, or received from. Allof this information can be obtained by the software running at the kioskstation, and communicated to the central hub. The central hub cantherefore use this information to monitor the health of the various voltbars and can inject new volt bars into the system at various locationswhen it is detected that the inventory is reaching its end of life.

In still another embodiment, the central hub can direct maintenancevehicles to remove damaged volt bars from kiosks, or insert new voltbars at certain kiosk locations. Because the central hub will know thefrequency of volt bar utilization at each of the kiosk locations, thecentral hub can dispatch maintenance vehicles and personnel to the mostoptimal location in the network of kiosk stations.

In another embodiment, a system for providing auxiliary charge to a mainbattery of an electric vehicles is provided. The system includes anauxiliary battery for holding a plurality of charge units, the auxiliarybattery being connectable to the main battery of the electric vehicle,the plurality of charge units being rechargeable and being replaceablefrom within the auxiliary battery, such that replacing particular onesof the plurality of charge units with charge units with more chargeincreases a total charge of the auxiliary battery. Also provided is akiosk for storing a plurality of charge units, the kiosk having, (i)slots for storing and recharging the plurality of charge units; (ii)control systems for communicating over a network, the control systemincludes logic for identifying inventory of charging units in the kioskand logic for processing payments and fee adjustments for charge unitsprovided or received in the slots of the kiosk. The system also includesa display for providing an interface for enabling transactions toprovide or receive charge units to customers. The system furtherprovides a central processing center that communicates with, (i) aplurality of said kiosk over a network, the central processing centerconfigured to provide for centralized rate changes to prices to chargefor the charge units at each of the plurality of kiosks, whereinchanging the price of the charge units is specific to each of the kiosksand is based on a plurality of metrics, including availability at eachkiosk and discounts, and (ii) a plurality of vehicles, the plurality ofvehicles being provided with access to availability information ofcharge units at each of said kiosks, the availability information beingcustom provided to the plurality of vehicles based on geo-location.

Another embodiment is for a method for providing charge options todrivers of electric vehicles. The method includes receiving dataconcerning charge providing availability from charge locations,receiving a request from processing logic of an electric vehicle, therequest identifying a desire to obtain charge, and determining a currentlocation of the electric vehicle. The method further includesdetermining identification of charge locations in proximity to theelectric vehicle and determining any sponsored rewards offered by thecharge locations. The method communicates to the electric vehicle a pathto one of the charge locations, the path identifying a sponsored rewardoffered at the charge location for the path.

Yet another embodiment, a computer processed method for providing chargeoptions to drivers of electric vehicles is provided. The electricvehicles have wireless access to a computer network. The method includesreceiving data concerning charge providing availability from chargelocations and receiving data concerning sponsored rewards offered by thecharge locations and rules for offering the sponsored rewards. Themethod receives a request from processing logic of an electric vehicle,and the request identifies a desire to obtain charge in route between acurrent location of the vehicle and a destination location. The methodincludes generating a plurality of paths that can be traversed by theelectric vehicle between the current location and the destinationlocation, where each of the paths identify possible charge locations atwhich the electric vehicle can be charged. Each of the possible chargelocations identifying any sponsored rewards offered if the electricvehicle obtains charge at the possible charge locations. The methodincludes forwarding the plurality of paths as options to the user of theelectric vehicle via a user interface. The sponsored rewards areidentified to the user to enable tradeoffs between length of path andreward obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a broad embodiment of a vehicle having a main batteryand an auxiliary battery carrier, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed picture of the auxiliary batterycarrier, designed to receive one or more batteries (volt bars), inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed block diagram of a vehicle interfaced withan auxiliary battery carrier, and interfaced directly with a mainbattery of the vehicle while being interfaced with a CPU, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed diagram of a vehicle having a main batterythat is replaceable or rechargeable, and interfaced with an auxiliarybattery carrier, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 illustrates another detailed diagram of a main battery of thevehicle, partitioned into a plurality of segments, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a main battery of a vehicle capable of beinginterfaced with an auxiliary battery carrier that can receive volt bars,and can be interfaced to a power source, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment where the main battery is interfacedwith the auxiliary battery carrier, and a CPU controls the flow ofcharge between the two, depending on their level of charge, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment where the main battery of thevehicle is being directly charged, and the auxiliary battery is chargedonce the CPU detects that the main battery has been fully charged, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment where the auxiliary battery istriggered to start being accessed by the main battery once the mainbattery reaches a particular depletion level, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment where the main battery and theauxiliary battery are each capable of providing power to a motordirectly, without transferring charge between either of the batteries,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the volt bar (battery) that isdimensionally sized to fit within a slot of the auxiliary batterycarrier, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates the auxiliary battery carrier with a plurality ofslots capable of receiving one or more volt bars that will be chargedonce placed in one of the slots, in accordance one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13a illustrates a kiosk system that can receive volt bars in a usedcondition (depleted), can charge depleted volt bars to a suitable chargelevel, and can dispense fully charged volt bars from the kiosk (referredto herein as a volt box), in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13b illustrates a detailed diagram of the face panel of the kiosksystem of FIG. 13a , which represents one example interface of thekiosk, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13c illustrates one example form factor of a battery servicemodule, that can output or receive volt bars in a service stationenvironment (potentially alongside a conventional fossil fuel pump ornearby location), in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13d illustrates an example battery service kiosk that can beexpandable in a modular form by adding or subtracting kiosk units tosatisfy demand at particular locations, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13e illustrates one example logic diagram for processing batterydata associated with batteries received at the kiosk, batteriesdispensed at the kiosk, and associated payment transactions, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14a illustrates one embodiment of an interface including aplurality of indicators at a volt box, that can receive and dispensevolt bars for use by electric vehicles (in auxiliary battery carriers,or pre-manufactured slots in the vehicle), in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14b illustrates another embodiment of a volt box (kiosk location)that additionally includes one or more charging cables that can bedirectly connected to an electric vehicles plug for efficient rechargingat a remote location away from the user's base location (home), inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment where in auxiliary battery carrier canbe charged from any number of sources, and the volt bars can be used tocharge and power any number of electric vehicles, or electric equipment,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16a illustrates one embodiment of the present invention that allowsfor volt box location (kiosk location) tracking of inventory andtracking of movement of volt bars among the various kiosk locations(defining the service network), in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16b illustrates another embodiment where volt box locations can bein communication with a central hub, where the central hub collectsinformation regarding the number of empty, ready, charged, and otherwiseutilized volt bars that can be purchased/rented by users at the volt box(kiosk) locations, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example data structure and data communicationtransferred between a central hub and a volt box, and periodic automaticpush-update of volt box memory data, in accordance one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of a data structure (providingdata) to a hub processing center (that communicates with full boxstations) and the exchange of information, such as reservation data, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In oneembodiment, the hub is a type of central processing center, and thecentral processing center can have one or more processing systems andthe systems can be localized or distributed and interconnected in anylocation in the world.

FIG. 19 illustrates another embodiment of a mobile/network reservationtransaction and the transfer of data between the mobile application, thehub processing center, and the memory of a volt box (computing systemmanaging the kiosk), in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 20a illustrates an embodiment of logic that tracks informationregarding the status of volt bars in the various kiosk stations,interfacing with mobile smart phone applications, load-balancingalgorithms, and service route information, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20b illustrates an example data exchange between a volt box and thecentral hub for periodic updates, exception alerts and database updatingincluding but not limited to load balancing and heat-map schemas, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20c illustrates an example data structure used in the processing,action, reply and logging of action requests from volt boxes in thefield in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20d describes one method of incentive driven virtual load balancingand rebalancing of volt bars in a given network of volt boxes in givenregions, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests toexchange volt bars where the number of return volt bars equal therequested volt bars, as well as logic for confirming validity of therequest, exception handling, re-routing of the request and remotereservation for the request, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 22 illustrates one method of purchase and volt bar dispensing asrequested in FIG. 21, communication of volt bar with volt box and damagedetection with transaction results transmitted to the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation withpre-payment and reservation completion through the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests topurchase volt bars without exchange, as well as logic for confirmingvalidity of the request, exception handling, re-routing of the requestand remote reservation for the request, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 illustrates one method of purchase and volt bar dispensing asrequested in FIG. 24, communication of volt bar with volt box and damagedetection with transaction results transmitted to the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation forthe requested transaction in FIG. 24 with pre-payment and reservationcompletion through the central hub, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests topurchase volt bars with an un-even volt bar exchange, as well as logicfor confirming validity of the request, exception handling, re-routingof the request and remote reservation for the request, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 illustrates one method of purchase and volt bar dispensing asrequested in FIG. 27, communication of volt bar with volt box and damagedetection with transaction results transmitted to the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation forthe requested transaction in FIG. 27 with pre-payment and reservationcompletion through the central hub, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 30 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests toreturn volt bars for deposit refund, as well as logic for confirmingvalidity of the request, exception handling, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 illustrates one method of volt bar return where the volt boxused for return validates the number of volt bars requested to bereturned, the condition of each volt bar tendered, validity of volt barownership as well as the calculation of refund, deposit of refund andservice requests along with transaction results transmitted to thecentral hub, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests topurchase charging time at a volt box location, as well as logic forconfirming validity of the request, exception handling, re-routing ofthe request and remote reservation for the request, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation forthe requested transaction in FIG. 32 with pre-payment and reservationcompletion through the central hub, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 34 illustrates one method of volt box location charge timepurchase, visual user cues and central hub update procedure, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 illustrates and example instance of a computer or mobileapplication used for two way communication, administration, metricanalysis, commerce gateway, loyalty reward status and administrationamong other customizable functionality working in conjunction with thevolt box network and central hub as viewed by the user and dependent ondetails of the user's account, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 36A-36C illustrate example locations for placing an auxiliarybattery in a vehicle and communication with an existing vehicle or oneretrofitted to receive additional batteries of varying sizes or formfactors, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 37A-C illustrates internet cloud processing for route generationand charge availability, for vehicles (or internet connected devices)that connect to the cloud (e.g., network processing connected to theinternet and storage), in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 38 illustrates an example system that monitors systems and dataassociated with a vehicle, and methods and systems for processing suchinformation to provide live interactive data for informed decisionmaking, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Inone embodiment, the system of FIG. 38 can reach data, including datafrom systems that collect operational information. Such operationalinformation is sometimes referred to as a vehicles “black box.” Thus,the data is not limited to black box data, but also data obtained fromthe Internet, data input by the user and data collected from carmanufacturers and social networks.

FIGS. 39 and 40 illustrate examples of a paths taken by electricvehicles and options for receiving charge along that paths, the pathscan be sponsored or not sponsored, and metrics concerning the paths areprovided to drivers of the EVs, and the charge can be either connectionsto charge stations (for conventional charging of the native vehiclebattery) or stocking/restocking of volt bars to augment the nativebattery or both, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems for providing charge options to drivers of electricvehicles are provided. One example method includes receiving dataconcerning charge providing availability from charge locations andreceiving a request from processing logic of an electric vehicle, therequest identifying a desire to obtain charge. The method includesdetermining a current location of the electric vehicle and determiningidentification of charge locations in proximity to the electric vehicle.The method further includes determining any sponsored rewards offered bythe charge locations and communicating to the electric vehicle a path toone of the charge locations, where the path is identified with asponsored reward offered at the charge location if the path is selectedand charge is obtained. The method can be processed by a server andpaths are communicated to vehicles to alert drivers of the electricvehicles of rewards or discounts if charge is obtained from certainlocations. Other embodiments that compliment sponsored paths forobtaining charge are described below, and relate to electric vehiclecharging and reduction of range anxiety.

Embodiments are also described for methods and systems for providingauxiliary charging mechanisms that can be integrated or coupled to avehicle, to supplement the main battery of a vehicle. The auxiliarycharging mechanism can be in the form of an auxiliary batterycompartment that can receive a plurality of charged batteries. Theauxiliary battery compartment can be charged with or without thevehicle, and can be installed or placed in the vehicle to providesupplemental charge to the vehicles main battery. Thus, if the mainbattery becomes depleted, the auxiliary battery compartment, having aplurality of charged batteries, can resume providing charge to thevehicle.

FIG. 1 illustrates a broad embodiment of a vehicle having a main batteryand an auxiliary battery carrier, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. As shown, a vehicle 10 is provided with a mainbattery 14. Main battery 14 can be installed in any configuration on avehicle, and as shown, the main battery 14 is preferably installed neara lower section of vehicle 10. Installation of the battery 14 near thelower section (i.e., underneath section) will enable automated handlingfor replacement of main battery 14. For example, main battery 14 may beremoved by automated handling equipment when vehicle 10 reaches abattery replacement location, or shop.

Alternatively, main battery 14 can be placed in any location suitablefor ergonomic placement on, attached, or integrated with body structuresof vehicle 10. Although vehicle 10 is illustrated to be a car, vehicle10 can take on any configuration such as, a sports car, a utility car, atruck, a pickup, an industrial vehicle, a delivery vehicle, a 3 wheeledvehicle, a 2 wheeled vehicle, etc. In one embodiment, vehicle 10 can bea 100% electric vehicle, a partial electric vehicle and fossil fuelpowered vehicle (hybrid), or variations thereof.

Vehicle 10 is illustrated with a charging port 17 that couples to mainbattery 14. Charging port 17 will enable standardized charging ofvehicle 10 at designated charging stations, such as power charger 18.Power charger 18 can be installed at the vehicles home-base, or can beinstalled at various locations designated for charging for a fee.

In one embodiment, an auxiliary battery carrier 16 can be inserted intoa compartment of the vehicle 10 and is configured for electricalconnection to main battery 14. Auxiliary battery carrier 16, in oneembodiment, is configured to be placed into the compartment by a human,and is configured with suitable handles for lifting the auxiliarybattery carrier 16 into and out of vehicle 10. The handles can beprovided on the sides of auxiliary battery carrier 16 to provide for anergonomic lifting procedure of the auxiliary battery carrier 16 into andout of vehicle 10.

Still further, the auxiliary battery carrier 16 can be provided withwheels and a handle, so that the unit can be pulled on wheels, similarto travel luggage transport systems. For instance, the handle can becompressed or slid into a side of the auxiliary battery carrier, andwhen transport is needed, the handle can be extended out to allowpulling, as facilitated by wheels attached to the bottom of theauxiliary battery carrier 16.

Auxiliary battery carrier 16 may be coupled to a power charger 18 beforebeing placed into vehicle 10. As noted above, power charger 18 can belocated at the vehicle user's home or can be located at any distributedcharging location throughout the globe.

In one embodiment, auxiliary battery carrier 16 can be charged byplugging a receptacle into a common wall outlet, and allowing theauxiliary battery carrier 16 to charge all volt bars 20 contained in theauxiliary battery carrier 16 for a period of time. In one embodiment,the auxiliary battery carrier 16 can also itself include a battery cellthat is rechargeable with sufficient voltage charge. In this embodiment,the auxiliary battery carrier 16 can provide charge to the vehicle 10even when no volt bars 20 are contained within the auxiliary batterycarrier 16. In another embodiment, the auxiliary battery carrier 16 willnot include a battery cell, and all charge storage will be held in therespective volt bars 20 installed therein.

Auxiliary battery carrier 16, in one embodiment, can be defined frommolded plastic with molded handles for ease of handling and protectionof the volt bars contain therein. The molded plastic is configured, inone embodiment, to provide a rugged cushioning to the auxiliary batterycarrier 16 in case of accidental dropping, accidental impacts, andoverall rigidity. The molded plastic can, in one embodiment includecushioning on the exterior surfaces, and may include a lid for enclosingthe volt bars 20 contained therein. As will be shown below, theauxiliary battery carrier 16 can also include plugs, cables, andinterfaces for allowing interconnection with charging outlets, andinterfaces with vehicle 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, auxiliary battery carrier 16 is electricallycoupled to main battery 14. This illustration is, in one embodiment alogical connection between auxiliary battery 16 and main battery 14.Thus, it will be understood that the electric connection between theauxiliary battery carrier 16 and the main battery 14 can take on anyconfiguration. Interconnections can be by way of receptacles built intovehicle 10 in the vicinity of auxiliary battery carrier 16.Interconnections can be by way of extension wires or cables that coupledto or adjacent to the charging port 17. Interconnections can be by wayof circuit panel plugs that interconnect to circuitry.

Broadly speaking, the circuitry can include, in one embodiment, centralprocessing units, logic, memory, and other electrical and/or computingmodules to enable interconnections between auxiliary battery carrier 16and main battery 14. Additionally, software can control interfacesbetween auxiliary battery carrier 16 and main battery 14, such as todetect the presence of auxiliary battery carrier 16, control thetransfer of voltage between the auxiliary battery carrier 16 and themain battery 14, or the electric motor of vehicle 10, and to interfacewith electronics, modules, and communication devices that may beintegrated within the auxiliary battery carrier 16.

Accordingly, it should be understood that auxiliary battery carrier 16can be removed from vehicle 10 for charging, can be charged on vehicle10, can be interconnected to vehicle 10, can be interconnected tostandard charging port 17, and can be refilled with auxiliary batteries(volt bars) with refresh charges to extend the life of charge providedby auxiliary battery carrier 16. Thus, the placement of auxiliarybattery carrier 16 on the vehicle 10 can take on any configuration,depending on the definition of the vehicle and its available storagecompartments or location suitable for supporting the auxiliary batterycarrier 16.

In one embodiment, the main battery 14 and the batteries that define thevolt bars 20 can be constructed using any number of batterytechnologies, or technologies that can store charge or energy.Additionally, main battery 14 can be configured in any number offormats, and can be integrated in any portion of a vehicle. In oneembodiment, any portion of the vehicle can be converted into an electricstorage compartment. For example, parts of a vehicle's floorboard candefine the electric storage compartment, and thus may act as mainbattery 14. In another embodiment, the outer shell or frame of thevehicle can be integrated with cavities or structures that are suitedfor storing electric power.

Thus, although main battery 14 is shown as a single unit, the placementand distribution on the vehicle can vary. Furthermore, the main battery14 can work in conjunction with a hybrid system, that enables chargingof the main battery 14 during use of the system. Charging in the hybridvehicle can be by way of collection of energy from braking functions, orthe like. Other ways of collecting energy can be by way of collectingenergy from the use of the vehicle's shock absorbers. As a vehicletraverses terrain, the vehicle's shocks absorb energy and/or resistmovement. These types of energy collection systems can, in oneembodiment, be recollected to the main battery 14 or can be transferredto the auxiliary batteries of the vehicle.

The control of such transfer can be managed by an on-board computer andcontrolled by a processor. In another embodiment, the control can becarried out dynamically from a remote location. For instance, thevehicle can be connected to the internet. If local conditions change,such as the weather or type of terrain being traversed, the vehicle canbe automatically controlled to transfer or collect energy from certainsystems, which can be prioritized over others. Still further, solarcells on vehicles can also be configured to collect energy and suchsolar cells can be controlled to transfer energy to either the mainbattery 14 or the auxiliary battery carrier 16.

It should be understood that in addition to standard battery technology,storage of electric energy can also be accomplished using alternate oremerging technologies. One such technology is referred to asultra-capacitor technology. Broadly speaking, an ultra-capacitor is adevice for the efficient storage of power. An ultra-capacitor is alsoknown as a double-layer capacitor, which polarizes an electrolyticsolution to store energy electrostatically. Even though it is anelectrochemical device, no chemical reactions are involved in its energystorage mechanism. This mechanism is highly reversible, and allows theultra-capacitor to be charged and discharged hundreds of thousands oftimes. An ultra-capacitor also has a lifetime that is greater thanconventional batteries, and is resistant to changes in temperature,shock, overcharging, and provides for rapid charging. These types ofbatteries also require less maintenance than conventional batteries andare more environmentally friendly because they lack common toxicchemicals utilized in standard batteries.

It is anticipated that charge storage technology will continue toimprove over time to provide additional charge capacity, lighter weight,and smaller form factors. As such improvements continue to evolve, theembodiments described herein which refer to “batteries,” should bebroadly construed to include any type of electric fuel storage.

FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed picture of the auxiliary batterycarrier, designed to receive one or more batteries (volt bars), inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown,auxiliary battery carrier 16 can include a number of slots that aredefined for receiving volt bars 20. Will include charge receptacles (notshown) that will mate with complementary receptacles defined within theauxiliary battery carrier 16. Thus, charge can be transferred from voltbar 20 and auxiliary battery carrier 16 once inserted within the slotsof auxiliary battery carrier 16.

It should be understood that any number of volt bar's 20 can beinstalled in an auxiliary battery carrier 16. The larger the auxiliarybattery carrier 16 becomes, the heavier the carrier will be for humanlifting and installation. If the auxiliary battery carrier 16 isdesigned for commercial purposes, auxiliary battery carrier 16 can bedefined to have a larger footprint, and can be installed using suitablemachinery. For example, auxiliary battery carrier 16 can be defined foruse in construction vehicles, and the number of volt bars 20 capable ofbeing installed in a larger auxiliary battery carrier 16 can benumerous. To handle the increase in weight, specialized vehicles, orstandard construction vehicles (e.g. forklifts) can be used to liftauxiliary battery carrier 16 into and out of vehicle 10. Thus, the sizeof auxiliary battery carrier 16 is modular, and can be made to receivemore or less volt bars 20. In still another embodiment, the size of voltbars 20 can be varied, such that larger sized volt bars 20 can beinserted into a suitably sized auxiliary battery carrier 16 havingassociated slots.

In still another embodiment, the volt bars 20 can be designed in ultralarge-size capacity. The ultra large-size can be configured forinstallation into a large container. The large container can be, forexample, a typical shipping container converted into a power source. Theshipping container can then be delivered to specific sites for use atspecial events, construction sites, or the power special equipment atoffice space locations. The modular construction of a large containerhaving volt bars 20 can then be managed by a separate distributionsystem that allows users to request and have delivered specific largecontainers with suitable battery capacity for the desired tasks.

In one embodiment, auxiliary battery carrier 16 can include an antenna15. Antenna 15 can be configured to communicate with electronics andsoftware/firmware of auxiliary battery carrier 16. Antenna 15 can beused to allow auxiliary battery carrier 16 to communicate with a remoteserver over the Internet, and report the status of auxiliary batterycarrier 16. For example, if a user driving vehicle 10 experiences adecrease charged in main battery 14, and an associated decrease chargein auxiliary battery carrier 16, auxiliary battery carrier 16 caninclude firmware/hardware/software that will enable communication to acentral hub.

The central hub can then generate a message that will be communicated tothe driver of vehicle 10. The message can include an identification ofthe closest kiosk that has suitable volt bars 20 that can be purchasedto replenish depleted contained in auxiliary battery carrier 16. Theuser can also be provided with messages that identify special deals forobtaining volt bars, and deals for exchanging depleted volt bars. In oneembodiment, the message can be communicated to the user's smart phone, adisplay panel on vehicle 10, or other personal electronics of the user.Communication between auxiliary battery carrier 16 and the devicesutilized by the user to receive messages can be managed using any numberof protocols, such as Wi-Media, near field communication (NFC), Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, radio communication, wired communication, etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed block diagram of a vehicle interfaced withan auxiliary battery carrier, and interfaced directly with a mainbattery of the vehicle while being interfaced with a CPU, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

Vehicle 12 can include a number of standard components, as well ascomponents for interfacing with the auxiliary battery carrier 16. Asshown, the vehicle can be provided with charge via a power charger 18 byconnection to charging port 17. Main battery 14 is connected toauxiliary battery carrier 16 by way of a power interface 29. In oneembodiment, data interface 22 is associated with each Main battery 14and auxiliary battery 16. Data interface 22 provides the link by which acentral processing unit (CPU) 31 can communicate with main battery 14and the auxiliary battery carrier 16. For purposes of generaldescription, it should be understood that CPU 31 can be defined in anynumber of form factors and configurations.

For instance, CPU 31 can be part of a digital signal processor, aprinted circuit board with circuitry, general logic, logic and memory,firmware, or circuitry that can sense the status of the main battery 14and auxiliary battery carrier 16, and can communicate data to othermodules or circuitry. Broadly speaking, some link or interconnection isprovided between main battery 22 and auxiliary battery carrier 16, sothat appropriate interfaces can be made between the batteries, in oneembodiment of the present invention. Power interface 29 can provide theinterface for exchanging charge between the charge contained inancillary battery carrier 16 and the main battery 14, as will bedescribed in more detail below. Auxiliary battery carrier 16 is showncapable of receiving a plurality of volt bars 20, and can be equippedwith an antenna 15 for communicating with a remote server or withcircuitry/software of vehicle 12.

Continuing with the description of components that may be part of anelectric vehicle 12, a motor controller 30 is shown interfacing withmain battery 14. Motor controller 30 be shown interfacing with electricmotor 30, and electric motor 30 is shown interfacing with transmission34. Transmission 34 is shown interfacing with differential 36, whichinterfaces with the wheels 38.

The general description of components/parts of vehicle 12 are providedas exemplary components only, and shall not limit other configurationsof electric vehicles that may include additional components/parts oromit certain components/parts. In general, vehicle 12 should beconfigured with sufficient components and infrastructure to enable mainbattery 14 and/or auxiliary battery carrier 16 (and volt bars 20) toprovide power to vehicle 12 to enable propulsion in the desireddirection.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed diagram of a vehicle having a main batterythat is replaceable or rechargeable, and interfaced with an auxiliarybattery carrier, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

As shown, FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment where the main battery of avehicle can be replaced from a location defined under the vehicle. Themain battery 14 can be coupled to the auxiliary battery carrier 16 byway of power interface 29. Power interface 29 is also coupled to themotor controller 30 that interfaces with the electric motor 32 of thevehicle. As shown, the volt bars 20 are independently chargeable and canbe hand insertable and removed from the auxiliary battery carrier 16,depending on the needs of the vehicle.

Also illustrated is antenna 15 that can be integrated with the auxiliarybattery carrier 16 for communication of status associated with auxiliarybattery carrier 16. It is noted herein that antenna 15, being coupled tothe auxiliary battery carrier 16 allows for independent communication bythe auxiliary battery carrier 16, separate from any communication beingperformed by the vehicles electronics or communication systems.

By separating these two communications systems, it is possible forcommunication between the auxiliary battery carrier and distributed hubsthat managed the availability of volt bars throughout the network,without interference by communications systems of the vehicle.Additionally, by separating the communications systems of auxiliarybattery carrier 16 from the vehicle, it is possible for the auxiliarybattery carrier 16 to independently communicate with the central hubwhen the auxiliary battery carrier is in or out of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 illustrates another detailed diagram of a main battery of thevehicle, partitioned into a plurality of segments, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the mainbattery 14 of the vehicle 12 is partitioned into a plurality ofinsertable and removable battery segments 14 a-14 d. Although only foursegments are shown, it is possible for the partitioning to be performedin any number of segments. By segmenting the main battery, it ispossible for a battery charge detector and selector to replace onlythose segments that need replacing.

For example, if the vehicle 12 drives into a battery changing station,the battery changing station can have a system of replacement actuators52 a-52 d, that can connect to the various main battery segments 14, andfacilitate removal and replacement with a fresh battery. In the exampleshown, the replacement actuators 52 each include sensors 54 a-54 d thatcoupled to each of the main battery segments 14. The sensors areconfigured to communicate with a control interface defined at a surfaceof the main battery segments. The control interface will communicatewith a computer 56 through a port 50 which will identify the charginglevel of the various battery segments. If a particular battery segmentsis substantially full, that battery segment will be allowed to remain inthe vehicle.

Alternatively, if a particular battery segment is only partiallydepleted, the driver will be given the option to replace the batterysegment with a fresh fully charged battery segment. In one embodiment,the vehicle owner will be given a credit for the remaining batterycharge left in the battery segment, so that the vehicle owner will becharged only for that charge that is purchased. For example, if mainbattery segment 14 b is only 12% charged, if that battery segment isreplaced, the driver will be charged for the charge value of 88%. Instill another embodiment, when the user of the vehicle drives into thebattery replenishment station, a control system dashboard can bepresented to the user of the vehicle to allow the user to enter into adisplay screen how much battery replacement is desired.

For instance, if the driver the vehicle only wants to spend to replaceone battery segment at that particular time due to budgetary issues,only one segment can be replaced. By segmenting the main battery, andproviding options to the user of the vehicle, the user is provided withmore flexibility of only charging the main battery with the amount ofcharge they desire to pay for at any particular time. In still anotherembodiment, while the main battery is being replaced in a segmentedmanner, it is possible for vehicle 12 also be coupled to a receptaclethat charges the auxiliary battery carrier 16, and its volt bars 20contained therein. In still another embodiment, the volt bars can bemanually replaced at the station during the charging of the main battery14.

Alternatively, the battery changing station can also automaticallyremove volt bars from a compartment of the vehicle and reinsert chargedvolt bars into the vehicle at the same time or during the same sessionof replacing or charging of the main battery. Accordingly, theflexibility of charging, and partitioning batteries out of vehicle willprovide users with more options for charging, depending on their drivingnecessities, and targeted budgets.

Additionally, by providing display screens to the users to allowselection of their desired charging parameters at a charging station,the user will have control over which battery sections, segments, voltbars, or systems will be recharged (whether completely recharged orpartially recharged), and may credit users for any charge remaining on aparticular battery segment when a new battery segment is reinserted intothe vehicle.

FIG. 6 illustrates a main battery of a vehicle capable of beinginterfaced with an auxiliary battery carrier that can receive volt bars,and can be interfaced to a power source, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the main battery 14 is shown having a powerinterface 29 b, that couples to a power interface 29 a of the auxiliarybattery carrier 16. Coupling of the power interfaces 29 will occur whenthe auxiliary battery carrier 16 is coupled to the vehicle. Asillustrated, the main battery 14 is coupled to a charging port 17. Thecharging port 17 will typically be the charging outlet on the vehiclethat will receive a connector that couples to power. For example, in ahome configuration, the receptacle can be provided with a connection tothe power grid of the home. The receptacle is then connected to thecharging port 17 of the vehicle when charging of the vehicles mainbattery 14 is desired.

As shown, a plurality of volt bars 20 can be inserted or removed fromthe auxiliary battery carrier 16. The volt bars 20, when inserted in theauxiliary battery carrier 16, can be charged when the auxiliary batterycarrier 16 is connected to a power source by way of a connector 22. Overtime, the volt bars can be replaced with new volt bars, or volt barspurchased at kiosk locations throughout a charging network of volt barsand dispensing units. As noted before, an antenna 15 can be providedwith auxiliary battery carrier 16 to enable independent communication bythe auxiliary battery carrier 16 to a central hub over the Internet. Thecentral hub, although identified as “central,” can be defined by aplurality of distributed hubs located in a cloud network topology thatmay include private, public or hybrid cloud technologies that areinstalled throughout a particular territory.

For example, one network of central hubs can be distributed throughout aparticular continent of the globe, a particular country, a particularcounty, a particular state, or particular city. A larger scaleinterconnected network can then manage the distributed central hubs toallow interchange of information and transfer of volt bars to thedesired kiosk locations depending on need and depending on the flowpatterns of the volt bars 20. As described herein, flow patterns meanthat volt bars when picked up at certain kiosk locations will then bedropped off at other kiosk locations. If more people pickup volt bars atparticular locations and travel in the same direction, more volt barswill gather at that direction where volt bars travel the most. Thus,because volt bars can be tracked, it is possible to define and track theflow patterns of the volt bars throughout the network.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment where the main battery is interfacedwith the auxiliary battery carrier, and a CPU controls the flow ofcharge between the two, depending on their level of charge, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the main battery 14 is shown having a low charging level,and the auxiliary battery carrier 16 is shown having a higher charginglevel. In one embodiment, is possible for the auxiliary battery carrier16 to transfer charged to the main battery 14 during operation. Controlof the charging flow between the auxiliary battery carrier 16 and themain battery 14 can be by way of a central processing unit 31. Thecentral processing unit 31 is generally shown as a block diagram.

However, it should be understood that central processing unit 31 caninclude any number of electronics, control systems, and software forcoupling the auxiliary battery carrier 16 to the main battery 14. Thecoupling can be by way of connectors between the auxiliary batterycarrier 16 and connectors on the vehicle, which then interface to mainbattery 14.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment where the main battery of thevehicle is being directly charged, and the auxiliary battery is chargedonce the CPU detects that the main battery has been fully charged, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, thecharge level in the main battery 14 is completely full, as power chargerhas been delivered to the charging port 17 of main battery 14. In thisembodiment, charge flow can be directed from the main battery 14 to theauxiliary battery carrier 16.

Again, CPU 31 can be used to control the charge flow between the mainbattery 14 and auxiliary battery carrier 16. In some embodiments, CPU 31will direct that no charge between the two systems will occur, and theauxiliary battery carrier will directly supply charge to the electricmotor for power. As such, it is not necessary that the auxiliary batterycarrier be directly or indirectly connected to main battery 14, asvehicles can provide their own separate connection between the auxiliarybattery carrier 16 and the electric motor. It is again noted that theauxiliary battery carrier 16 can be integrated as part of the car, byway of a plurality of slots defined in some compartment on the vehicle.Those particular slots can then be coupled to the electric motor, orcoupled to the main battery, or both.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment where the auxiliary battery istriggered to start being accessed by the main battery once the mainbattery reaches a particular depletion level, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the controlsystems can trigger that the auxiliary battery carrier 16 is accessed bythe main battery 14 for additional charged only when the main battery 14reaches a threshold. In this example, ¼ charge or less will trigger thetransfer of charge. Of course, it should be understood that anythreshold value can be set, and ¼ is only an example for illustratingthe monitoring of charge contained in each of main battery 14 anauxiliary battery 16. In still another embodiment, additional chargebars 20 can be inserted into auxiliary battery carrier 16 at anyparticular point in time.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment where the main battery and theauxiliary battery are each capable of providing power to a motordirectly, without transferring charge between either of the batteries,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the volt bar (battery) that isdimensionally sized to fit within a slot of the auxiliary batterycarrier, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Inthis example, a particular volt bar 20 can include various dimensionalsides. A particular volt bar 20 can be provided with advertisements fromvarious sponsors in physical, static or electronically and dynamicallydelivered form, and can include charge indicators 21, LED buttons, RF IDfor transmission and receiving, and can include a slider protector 25.The slider protector 25 is configured to protect the electrodes 21 a and21 b. The slider is configured to be slid up to expose the electrodeswhen the volt bar is inserted into the auxiliary battery carrier 16 orinto a slot of the vehicle. The advertisement can also changedynamically by way of an LED screen, and can change based on codesprovided by transmissions received from the antenna of the auxiliarybattery carrier 16. The dimensional sizes of a volt bar 20 can changedepending on the form factor of the carrier, or the form factor of theslots in the vehicle.

Additionally, various slider technology, or connector technology can beused to allow exposure of the electrodes when necessary for connectionwith the auxiliary battery carrier or the receiving slot such as directcontact or wireless charge and discharge technologies. Accordingly, theform factor illustrated here in is only provided as one example. Otherexamples can include form factor such as tubular form factors, elongatedform factors, cylinder form factors, etc. the charge indicator 21 can beprovided in the form of a digital display, a plurality of LEDs, or amechanical indicator.

The LED buttons can also provide information regarding the health of thevolt bar, the life of the volt bar, serial numbers of the volt bar andother information. The RFID can be used to track the when volt bar 20 isinserted into and out of auxiliary battery carriers, or received from orinserted into kiosk locations, and can be tracked globally for theirmovement around the network. When a volt bar reaches its lifespan, akiosk will confiscate the volt bar so that further introduction into thenetwork can be prevented. Confiscated volt bars can then be replaced byservice technicians.

FIG. 12 illustrates the auxiliary battery carrier with a plurality ofslots capable of receiving one or more volt bars that will be chargedonce placed in one of the slots, in accordance one embodiment of thepresent invention. In this example, the auxiliary battery carrier isshown receiving a particular volt bar 20. A universal plug can beprovided on the auxiliary battery carrier 16 that will allow connectionto a charging station. Alternatively, a cable 27 can be used to connectto a power outlet, or connect directly to the vehicle. The power outletcan be a basic outlet plug 27 to allow connection to any standardizedplug for receiving electrical power. When the auxiliary battery carrier16 is full of volt bars 20, the volt bars contained within auxiliarybattery carrier 16 can be charged.

FIG. 13a illustrates a kiosk system that can receive volt bars in a usedcondition (depleted), can charge depleted volt bars to a suitable chargelevel, and can dispense fully charged volt bars from the kiosk (referredto herein as a volt box), in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. As illustrated, a kiosk location is shown, and isreferred to herein as a volt box. The volt box is an expandable chargingstation 60. The charging station 60 can also include direct chargingports 60 b and can include a plurality of slots for dispensing volt bars20 in section 60 a. The volt box can include a screen 64 for allowing auser to interface with the kiosk location and allow the user to purchaseany number of volt bars. A payment interface 66 is also provided toallow user to purchase the volt bars.

Charging stations 60 can also be deployed as a mobile unit the can bedropped off at any particular location, such as a storefront, or outsideof a big box chain store. Once dropped off they can be deployed,connected to the Internet, and can be powering the volt bars insertedtherein. Charge can be received by the electrical grid, a gas generator,a fuel-cell generator, solar panels, or can be charged from a servicecharging vehicle. The kiosk will include a service ports 61 that willallow service technicians to empty volt bars that have been confiscatedas they may have reached their lifespan, or insert new volt bars whenthe kiosk location is less than full or is in need of additional voltbars due to flow patterns that drive volt bars to other kiosk locations.

As shown, direct charging ports 60 b include a retractable charging cord73 with a charging plug so that vehicles can drive up and receive chargefrom the kiosk location, those charging their main battery. At the sametime, the user can purchase any number of volt bars for use in theirauxiliary battery carrier 16 or in preformed slots defined on thevehicle itself. An antenna 62 is also shown providing the volt boxaccess to communicate with the network of other volt boxes, and/or thecentral hub. By providing this communication, it is possible the trackhow full or empty the volt box charging station is, and service vehiclescan be deployed to replenish, and/or service the particular chargingstations 60.

As illustrated, charging is performed through a plurality of interfaces74, or a single interface 74, depending on the configuration andlocation of the volt box station in the deployed network.

FIG. 13b illustrates a detailed diagram of the face panel of the kiosksystem of FIG. 13a , which represents one example interface of thekiosk, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Theindicator lights or insignias can be provided on the face of the kiosklocation to indicate the charging level of the particular volt barsinserted therein. In some cases, volt bars inserted into slots will onlybe partially charged, and thus will not be available for purchase. Lightindicators can be provided to illustrate which volt bars can be removedfrom the kiosk location. In another embodiment, the volt bars aremechanically pulled into the kiosk location and served to the user in adispensing manner.

The dispensing system can then be handled internally to the volt box sothat a single slot is provided for receiving used volt bars anddispensing new volt bars. As such, users approaching a kiosk locationmay empty the used volt bars from their auxiliary battery carrier andinsert them into the kiosk location to receive a credit for the volt barunit. If the credit is received by returning a user volt bar, the useris only charged a nominal fee for the charge when a new or rechargedvolt bar is dispensed.

FIG. 13c illustrates one example form factor of a battery servicemodule, that can output or receive volt bars in a service stationenvironment (potentially alongside a conventional fossil fuel pump ornearby location), in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13d illustrates an example battery service kiosk, that can beexpandable in a modular form by adding or subtracting kiosk units tosatisfy demand at particular locations, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. In this example, kiosk locationscan be added in a connected manner to existing kiosk locations to expandthe capacity of the modular system. By doing this, one kiosk can includethe display interface 105, the battery in slot 109, the battery out slot111, and the card swipe/pin pad 107 information.

FIG. 13e illustrates one example logic diagram for processing batterydata associated with batteries received at the kiosk, batteriesdispensed at the kiosk, and associated payment transactions, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. This exampleshows a battery management system 60 c, that includes severalsubsystems. A battery processing system 200 is shown including a controlsystem 213. The control system 213 is coupled to a plurality of modulesthat control the receiving and dispensing of volt bars at a particularkiosk location, in one example. As shown, the battery processing system200 includes a battery hold module 205, a battery charge module 207, abattery diagnostic module 203, a battery in queuing module 201, abattery auxiliary service module 209, and a battery out queuing module211.

These systems are then connected to the battery service module orbattery service kiosk 60. As shown, the battery in slot 109 is coupledto the battery in queuing module 201. When the battery is received, thebattery is then put through a battery diagnostic module 203 where thebattery diagnostic module will determine if the battery should be heldor confiscated by battery hold module 205. If the battery is in goodcondition, the battery charge module 207 will charge the battery andallow the battery to be dispensed to a battery out queuing module 211,which in turn allows the battery to be output by the battery out slot111. Again, the control systems described herein are only representativeof one example and the control systems for receiving used or unchargedvolt bars and dispensing new volt bars at particular kiosk locations canbe modified to account for the volume of volt bars being dispensed, theform factor of the kiosk location, and other factors.

FIG. 14a illustrates one embodiment of an interface including aplurality of indicators at a volt box, that can receive and dispensevolt bars for use by electric vehicles (in auxiliary battery carriers,or pre-manufactured slots in the vehicle), in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown, an example of a volt box60 a having a plurality of volt bars is shown. Depleted volt bars 20 canbe inserted into open slots, while users can purchase and remove chargedvolt bars from ready slots. The volt bars can then be inserted into anauxiliary battery carrier 16 that are external to the car or integratedwithin the car, or can be placed into the car.

FIG. 14b illustrates another embodiment of a volt box (kiosk location)that additionally includes one or more charging cables that can bedirectly connected to an electric vehicles plug for efficient rechargingat a remote location away from the user's base location (home), inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment where in auxiliary battery carrier canbe charged from any number of sources, and the volt bars can be used tocharge and power any number of electric vehicles, or electric equipment,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. This exampleshows that the power source can be delivered to any number of vehiclesor appliances that consume electric power. A volt box 16 can be chargedfrom various power sources, and can be inserted into varioustransportation vehicles, or appliances. The examples shown are variouscars, motorcycles, home appliances, mobile appliances, recreationalappliances, general lighting equipment, emergency lighting equipment, orcharging power sources.

FIG. 16a illustrates one embodiment of the present invention that allowsfor volt box location (kiosk location) tracking of inventory andtracking of movement of volt bars among the various kiosk locations(defining the service network), in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16b illustrates another embodiment where volt box locations can bein communication with a central hub, where the central hub collectsinformation regarding the number of empty, ready, charged, and otherwiseutilized volt bars they can be purchased/rented by users at the volt box(kiosk) locations, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. This example illustrates how a hub processing center 302couples to a service network 300. The hub processing center at 302 willinclude a number of operational units. The units can include paymentservers 306, reservation servers 310, volt box unit interface servers304, load balancing and heat mapping engines 308, mobile applicationinterface servers 312, service and service route optimization engines314, interfaces through wide area networks and local area networks andprivate/public/hybrid cloud infrastructures 316, and databases 318. Thepayment servers receive payments from the users and redeem payments frompayment interface businesses.

The reservation servers 310 will allow users to reserve volt bars atparticular volt box kiosk locations ahead of time. This ensures thatusers are able to obtain their volt bars at the destination they areapproaching or have discovered that volt bars are available. By allowingusers to advance reserve volt bars, users arriving at the kiosk locationwill not be discouraged if they find out that the volt bars that wereindicated to be available are no longer available.

The load balancing and heat map engine 308 is configured to track theflow patterns of the volt bars around a particular network. If volt barsare accumulating at particular kiosk locations, the load-balancingengine can institute discounts at particular kiosk locations toinfluence the automatic distribution of the volt bars to other locationswhere volt bars are in short supply, or move volt bars away fromlocations where volt bars are accumulating. The heat map can identifiedin real time the movement of volt bars by tracking the RFID's on thevarious volt bars as they traverse the locations in the network.

For instance, as volt bars are removed from vehicles and inserted intokiosk locations, the volt bars can be analyzed to see where the volt baroriginated, and where the volt bars have been from a historical mappingperspective. If volt bars appear to accumulate more in a particularlocation, the heat map will indicate a higher heat level, or indicatorof where volt bars may be accumulating. The mobile application interfacecan then relay this information to users who are attempting to locatevolt bars in the network. The mobile application interface server isconfigured to provide information to users on smart phones, or similardevices, or computer interfaces connected to the Internet.

An application can then track the user's current location and can informthe user of the closest kiosk location for obtaining a volt bar. Theuser can be provided with options to purchase an advance reserve thevolt bars from those locations. The user can also be provided withdiscounts if the heat map desires to move certain volt box inventoryaway from certain kiosk locations to other kiosk locations. Thediscounts can influence users to obtain volt bars from certain voltboxes as opposed to others, thus automatically load-balancing thedistribution of volt bars throughout the network.

Having information of the locations with volt bars, the status of voltbars, and the flow patterns, the service and service route optimizationengine 314 can direct service agents to the most efficient locations toprovide service. The service can include replacing volt bars that areidentified to be past their useful life, replenish volt bars, and/orservice the kiosk infrastructure. As shown in FIG. 16a , the variousvolt box locations 60 can be tracked using GPS information, addressinformation, or previously defined location information. IP addresslocations and cell tower accessing can also be used.

Accordingly, the hub processing unit 302 is intelligently interfacedwith the network to allow management of the various kiosk locations andensure efficient distribution of volt bars to the various vehicles, andto provide information to users through mobile devices, computerinterfaces, and allow for efficient and ease of purchase and reservationwhen volt bars are desired. By providing this information to users in adynamic manner, users of electric vehicles will not be challenged withrange anxiety when operating their electric vehicles from location tolocation throughout the globe.

Knowing that kiosk locations are available, and their ability toreserve, purchase, or identify availability of volt bars, and associateddiscounts, users are empowered with information that will enableefficient purchasing and utilization of energy for their electricvehicles. Social networks can also be accessed to determine if anycomments or referrals are being made about specific locations, or ifproblems are being experienced at certain locations. Social networks canalso be tapped to identify if certain locations are liked over otherlocations, and if certain features are particularly good or fall belowsome accepted standard.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example data structure and data communicationtransferred between a central hub and a volt box, and periodic automaticpush-update of volt box memory data, in accordance one embodiment of thepresent invention. This embodiment shows that each location can bemanaged and the quantity of volt bars each location can be tracked bythe central processing hub, to efficiently utilize the volt barsthroughout the network. As shown, the volt box locations (kiosklocations) can be distributed throughout a city at different streetaddresses. Service personnel can then be routed to the specific streetsof a city to perform the servicing operations.

The most efficient routes can then be predefined for the servicetechnicians so that service can be made at each volt box location. Thisembodiment illustrates that each volt box location 60 can collect aplurality of data that can be relayed to the hub processing center 302.Based on the information collected by the hub processing center 302,on-demand information can be provided to the system for setting theprice of each volt bar, and other parameters at specific volt boxlocations.

For example, the periodic updates can be pushed to the volt box memorydata so that the charging stations can provide efficient pricinginformation, and adjustments based on market conditions. Memory 60-1illustrates the various information data that can be stored at the voltbox 60, and communicated to the hub processing center 302.

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of a data structure (providingdata) to a hub processing center (that communicates with full boxstations) and the exchange of information, such as reservation data, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. This exampleillustrates a generic reservation push update of the volt box memorydata. In this example, reservation data can be pushed to the volt boxwhen obtained by the hub processing center 302. As noted above, whenusers reserve volt bars at specific volt box locations, the volt boxlocations need to update their information so that the reservation canbe set.

FIG. 19 illustrates another embodiment of a mobile/network reservationtransaction and the transfer of data between the mobile application, thehub processing center, and the memory of a volt box (computing systemmanaging the kiosk), in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. In this example, the mobile/network reservation push updateis made to the volt box memory data. For example, a reservation requestdata from another volt box can be received or from a computer or mobileapplication in step 330. The hub processing center 302 will then receivethis information from the memory and will be in communication with thememory of the volt box to reserve resources for the given time limit.The reservation data is received from 320, in response to the setting bythe hub processing center 302.

FIG. 20a illustrates an embodiment of logic that tracks informationregarding the status of volt bars in the various kiosk stations,interfacing with mobile smart phone applications, load-balancingalgorithms, and service route information, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. This also illustrates an example ofthe processing of volt bars, such as managing damaged volt bars 402 andgenerating a route for pickup 404, when service operations areperformed. Empty volt bar information 406 can then be communicated to aload balancer 410. The load balancer 410 can also receive informationfrom ready charged volt bars 408. This information can then becommunicated to a mobile smart phone application 412. Logic can then beprocessed in operation 414, to deploy pickup of volt bars orredistribution of volt bars.

The redistribution or pickup can then be managed by a route generator416 where replacement of damaged volt bars 420 can occur during a route.In still another embodiment, the price can be adjusted in real time toencourage or discourage use of particular kiosk locations by module 418.Mobile notifications can also be generated to customers of particularsales or discounts based on the desired encouragement to move or flowvolt bars to or from specific kiosk location is s by module 422. System400 is provided as an example of the management systems that cancontrolled to achieve specific load-balancing, notifications, andmanagement communications to users of the network.

FIG. 20b illustrates an example data exchange between a volt box and thecentral hub for periodic updates, exception alerts and database updatingincluding but not limited to load balancing and heat-map schemas, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisspecific process 450, the volt box uses a network including but notlimited to cellular, WAN, LAN and or satellite to attempt to establish aconnection with a server in the central hub in 452. The connectionrequest sent to the server in 454 enters into a queue for processing.

When the server acknowledges the requesting volt box's connectionattempt, the server will send identification and security informationrequirements back to the volt box in 456. The requesting volt box thensends the identification and security information requested by theserver in 458 to establish the network handshake and commence dataexchange described in 460. Once data exchange channels are open betweenthe volt box and the server, the volt box sends an action code to theserver, 462, at which point the server in 464 will determine if the codesent by the volt box is a routine check-in code. If the code sent by thevolt box to the server is not a routine check-in code, the server willreceive the code as exception data in 476 and subsequently tag the voltbox that sent the code for service and update all dependant systems in480.

If the code sent to the server in 462 and checked in 464 was a routinecheck-in code then the routine check in status on the sever is updatedand the server subsequently sends update data to the requesting voltbox's memory with up to date information. Data stores pertaining to therequesting volt box on the central processing hub and servers areupdated after either a routine check-in code or an exception code hasbeen successfully processed by the server, 470. Additional dependantsystems and schemas are updated to provide the most up to date aggregatedata and reporting after each and every individual volt box is updatedin 472. When all updating has completed the connection between therequesting volt box and the server is closed, 474.

FIG. 20c illustrates an example data structure used in the processing,action, reply and logging of action requests from volt boxes in thefield in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Thedata structure and communication shown describes how a plurality of voltboxes, 60, communicates to a data structure within the hub processingcenter that receives action requests in an organized fashion forprocessing.

Logic at the hub processing center cycles through data segments in thedata structure to individually address action requests usingmethodologies including but not limited to first-in-last-out,last-in-first-out, priority queuing, and weighted fair queuing. Afterthe hub processing center processes an action request, a sync isperformed with the volt box that sent the now processed action request.Additionally, an action request history storage data structure anddatabase is updated with details specific to each processed actionrequest such as identifying information for the requesting volt box,action requested, action performed, when it was performed and anyadditional notes, data points, tracking and reporting necessary tocatalog and warehouse data related to action request handling.

FIG. 20d describes one method of incentive driven virtual load balancingand rebalancing of volt bars in a given network of volt boxes in givenregions, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Inthis example of the embodiment, regions are shown to work in conjunctionwith one another for load balancing of volt bars. Three regions areshown with varying number of volt bars located in aggregate total fromthe entirety of volt boxes designated as residing within the givenregion.

Region 1 shows to have 51,375 volt bars while region 3 only holds 15,200volt bars. In order to maintain a steady inventory of volt bars acrossall regions, each volt box will advertise an incentive to exchange,purchase or drop off volt bars at a volt box in a region that is runninglow on volt bar inventory. When the inventory in a certain region is lowas compared to other regions, volt boxes in that particular region mayde-incentive consumers by raising the price of volt bars at a volt boxaccordingly.

Volt bar inventory may run low or high for a variety of reasons such ashigh demand due to a high traffic event close by or low demand due to abedroom community in which most commuters are away for most of the day.Pricing will fluctuate to stabilize and load balance the availability ofvolt bars across all regions. Regions may be comprised of sub regions orbe part of a larger regions. Regions also have the ability to becomepart of other regions dynamically and similarly individual volt boxesmay be assigned to any given region based on demand, load balancing andstrategy.

FIG. 21 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests toexchange volt bars where the number of return volt bars equal therequested volt bars, as well as logic for confirming validity of therequest, exception handling, re-routing of the request and remotereservation for the request, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. This example embodiment is described by flow 500 withcontinuation B on FIG. 22 and continuation C on FIG. 23. In this exampleof the embodiment, a user requests to exchange volt bars at a volt boxwhere the amount of fully charged volt bars requested equal the amountof discharged or spent volt bars the user will deposit into the volt boxin 502. The user will enter the amount of volt bars required for theirtransaction and the system will determine, 504 if there are sufficientfully charged volt bars available to fill the user's request.

If there are enough fully charged volt bars to fill the users order, atransaction price along with an escrow price will be calculatedpresented to the user. The transaction price will be based on asuccessful transaction in which the same amount of fully charged voltbars tendered to the user equals the discharged volt bars deposited. Ifthe user fails to deposit any amount of volt bars required tosuccessfully complete the transaction, a penalty fee will be deductedfrom the escrow paid by the user in 510. If the user does not accept thequote and pricing offered by the volt box, 514, the user proceeds to512.

If the volt box in 514 determines that the user has accepted the pricingpresented in 510 (see FIG. 22), the volt box will ask for payment in oneof the available forms including but not limited to cash, NFC, credit,pre-paid volt box code or a volt box credit account number in 522.Alternatively, if the user is reserving/purchasing volt bars viaapplication on a network connected device, payment will be taken overthe network as well. The volt box will then determine in 524 if thepayment was successful. If the payment was not successful, the volt boxor application on a network connected device will give the user theoption to try to tender payment again in 526. If the user does not optto try again the use case ends. In one embodiment, the volt box andnetwork servers are updated with transaction results data.

If the payment is successful initially or after subsequent attempts in524, then the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device will make the number of fully charged volt barsavailable for removal of the volt box and designate their location inthe volt box either visually and or audibly in 528. The user thenperforms the exchange in 530 where the user's spent volt bars aredeposited into the same bays, available bays, slots or mechanism fordepositing volt bars. The volt box then communicates with the volt barsvia RFID or other wired or wireless communication method to determine ifthe correct amounts of depleted volt bars have been deposited in 532.The volt box also gathers information regarding the state of each voltbar at the time of deposit.

After the deposit has been completed, the volt box calculates if thereis a refund due to the user or if the transaction has been completed in534. If the volt box determines that damaged volt bars have beendetected, an exception code is sent to the server at the processing hubthat tags the volt box for volt bar replacement service. The volt boxcommunicates data to the server about the transaction including but notlimited to where the volt bars were tendered, the charge cycles the voltbar has completed, the user(s) the volt bar has been used by and otheridentifying information for reporting metrics and data warehousing.

The volt box then places the bay(s) containing the damaged volt bar(s)out of service as well as the volt bar(s) themselves by deactivatingthem. If no volt bars in 536 were determined to be damaged the use caseends after the server on the volt box network is updated with pertinentinformation regarding the transaction. If at 504 the volt box, volt boxkiosk or application on a network connected device determines there arenot sufficient fully charged volt bars at the volt box to fill theuser's order, the volt box interface will suggest the user request theavailable maximum volt bars from the volt box in 506. If the newquantity is accepted in 508 then the user continues to 510.

If the user does not accept the new quantity of available fully chargedvolt bars available for transaction, the volt box will calculate anddisplay using information from the volt box network which of the nearestvolt box locations can fill the users requested volt bar exchangequantity. The volt box will use incentive, load balancing informationfrom the server at the processing hub to display the user's optionssorted by price, distance and or both in 512. The volt box in 516 willsuggest the best value or incentives option for the user and allow theuser to reserve the volt bars at the location described by the volt boxin 516. If the user does not reserve the volt bars suggested by the voltbox the use case ends without further action, and a server may beupdated.

However, if the user does accept one of the qualifying volt boxtransaction sites, the volt box sends a request to the volt boxreservation system to hold the volt bars requested at the volt boxlocation indicated for the user while the user tenders payment in 520.(see FIG. 23) The volt box will ask for payment in one of the availableforms including but not limited to cash, pre-paid volt box code or avolt box account number in 540. The volt box will then determine in 542if the payment was successful. If the payment was not successful, thevolt box or application on a network connected device will give the userthe option to try again in 544. If the user does not opt to try againthe volt box will notify the server at the processing hub to release thevolt bars from reservation at the target volt box to make them availablein the general pool of reservable/exchangeable/purchasable volt bars in546.

If the payment is successful initially or after subsequent attempts in542, then the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device where the payment transaction in was completed willsend a confirmation to the target volt box through the volt box networkto retain the requested amount of volt bars for at least a predeterminednumber of minutes or hours in 548. The volt box will also produce a codefor the user to take to the target volt box to redeem the pre purchasedvolt bar transaction. In one embodiment, the volt box network willupdate the user's account with reservation data accessible through anynetwork connected device to view metrics and data related to allinteractions the user has with the volt box network. When the userarrives at the target volt box holding reservation data for the user'stransaction, the user will enter the code to redeem his or hertransaction. The volt box will compare the code to code data on theserver through the network to determine the validity and dispense asneeded in 550.

If the user does not perform the transaction at the target volt boxwithin the allotted time, the volt bars will be released into theavailable pool and the user will be credited. After the user performshis or her transaction the use case ends without further action. In oneembodiment, a server may be updated.

FIG. 22 illustrates one method of purchase and volt bar dispensing asrequested in FIG. 21, communication of volt bar with volt box and damagedetection with transaction results transmitted to the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation withpre-payment and reservation completion through the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests topurchase volt bars without exchange, as well as logic for confirmingvalidity of the request, exception handling, re-routing of the requestand remote reservation for the request, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. In this example, flow 600 cancontinue to D on FIG. 25 and continue to E on FIG. 26. In this exampleof the embodiment, a user requests to purchase volt bars at a volt boxwithout tendering spent volt bars in 602. The user will enter the amountof volt bars the user wishes to purchase and the system will determine,604 if there are sufficient fully charged volt bars available to fillthe user's request. If there are enough fully charged volt bars to fillthe users order, a transaction price along with an escrow price will becalculated presented to the user.

The transaction price will be based on the number of fully charged voltbars requested by the user using the latest pricing information from thevolt box network in 610. If the user does not accept the quote andpricing offered by the volt box, 614, the user proceeds to 612. If thevolt box in 614 determines that the user has accepted the pricingpresented in 610 (see, FIG. 25) the volt box will ask for payment in oneof the available forms including but not limited to cash, NFC, credit,pre-paid volt box code or a volt box credit account number in 622.Alternatively, if the user is reserving/purchasing volt bars viaapplication on a network connected device, payment will be taken overthe network as well.

The volt box will then determine in 624 if the payment was successful.If the payment was not successful, the volt box or application on anetwork connected device will give the user the option to try to tenderpayment again in 626. If the user does not opt to try again the use caseends. In one embodiment, the volt box and network servers are updatedwith transaction results data. If the payment is successful initially orafter subsequent attempts in 624, then the volt box, volt box kiosk orapplication on a network connected device will make the number of fullycharged volt bars available for removal of the volt box and designatetheir location in the volt box either visually and or audibly in 628.The user then removes the volt bars from the volt box in 630. After theremoval of volt bars is complete, the volt box calculates if there is arefund due to the user or if the transaction has been completed in 632.After removal at 630 and calculation at 632 is complete, the volt boxupdates the volt box network with the results of the transaction toupdate all dependant data structures, data stores and data warehouses,634.

If at 604 the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device determines there are not sufficient fully charged voltbars at the volt box to fill the user's order, the volt box interfacewill suggest the user request the available maximum volt bars from thevolt box in 606. If the new quantity is accepted in 608 then the usercontinues to 610. If the user does not accept the new quantity ofavailable fully charged volt bars available for transaction, the voltbox will calculate and display using information from the volt boxnetwork which of the nearest volt box locations can fill the usersrequested volt bar quantity. The volt box will use incentive, loadbalancing information from the volt box network to display the user'soptions sorted by price, distance and or both in 612. The volt box in616 will suggest the best value or incentives option for the user andallow the user to reserve the volt bars at the location described by thevolt box in 616.

If the user does not reserve the volt bars suggested by the volt box theuse case ends without further action, and the server may be updated.However, if the user does accept one of the qualifying volt boxtransaction sites, the volt box sends a request to the volt boxreservation system to hold the volt bars requested at the volt boxlocation indicated for the user while the user tenders payment in 620.(see FIG. 26) The volt box will ask for payment in one of the availableforms including but not limited to cash, pre-paid volt box code or avolt box account number in 636. The volt box will then determine in 638if the payment was successful. If the payment was not successful, thevolt box or application on a network connected device will give the userthe option to try again in 640. If the user does not opt to try againthe volt box will notify the server at the processing hub to release thevolt bars from reservation at the target volt box to make them availablein the general pool of reservable/exchangeable/purchasable volt bars in642.

If the payment is successful initially or after subsequent attempts in638, then the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device where the payment transaction in was completed willsend a confirmation to the target volt box through the volt box networkto retain the requested amount of volt bars for at least a predeterminednumber of minutes or hours in 644. The volt box will also produce a codefor the user to take to the target volt box to redeem the pre purchasedvolt bar transaction.

Additionally, the volt box network may update the user's account withreservation data accessible through any network connected device to viewmetrics and data related to all interactions the user has with the voltbox network. When the user arrives at the target volt box holdingreservation data for the user's transaction, the user will enter thecode to redeem his or her transaction. The volt box will compare thecode to code data on the server through the network to determine thevalidity and dispense as needed in 646.

If the user does not perform the transaction at the target volt boxwithin the allotted time, the volt bars will be released into theavailable pool and the user will be credited. After the user performshis or her transaction the use case ends without further action, and theservers may be updated.

FIG. 25 illustrates one method of purchase and volt bar dispensing asrequested in FIG. 24, communication of volt bar with volt box and damagedetection with transaction results transmitted to the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation forthe requested transaction in FIG. 24 with pre-payment and reservationcompletion through the central hub, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests topurchase volt bars with an un-even volt bar exchange, as well as logicfor confirming validity of the request, exception handling, re-routingof the request and remote reservation for the request, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention by flow 700 withcontinuation to F on FIG. 28 and continuation to G on FIG. 29. In thisexample of the embodiment, a user requests to exchange volt bars at avolt box where the amount of fully charged volt bars requested does notequal the amount of discharged or spent volt bars the user will depositinto the volt box in 702.

The user will enter the amount of volt bars he or she would like topurchase along with the amount of spent volt bars he or she will bedepositing into the volt box and the system will determine, 704 if thereare sufficient fully charged volt bars available to fill the user'srequest and if the volt box has the capability to capture the amount ofspent volt bars the user wishes to deposit. If the volt box can fill theorder for the user, a transaction price along with an escrow price willbe calculated presented to the user.

The transaction price will be based on a successful transaction in whichthe user receives the amount of volt bars they require and deposit theamount of spent volt bars they indicated they wished to turn into thevolt box. The volt box will determine if a penalty fee will be deductedfrom the escrow paid by the user in 710 or if a refund is required afterthe actual transaction takes place using the information gathered atthis point. If the user does not accept the quote and pricing offered bythe volt box, 714, the user proceeds to 712. If the volt box in 714determines that the user has accepted the pricing presented in 710 (see,FIG. 28), the volt box will ask for payment in one of the availableforms including but not limited to cash, NFC, credit, pre-paid volt boxcode or a volt box credit account number in 722. Alternatively, if theuser is reserving/purchasing volt bars via application on a networkconnected device, payment will be taken over the network as well. Thevolt box will then determine in 724 if the payment was successful.

If the payment was not successful, the volt box or application on anetwork connected device will give the user the option to try to tenderpayment again in 726. If the user does not opt to try again the use caseends, and the volt box and network servers may be updated withtransaction results data. If the payment is successful initially orafter subsequent attempts in 724, then the volt box, volt box kiosk orapplication on a network connected device will make the number of fullycharged volt bars available for removal of the volt box and designatetheir location in the volt box either visually and or audibly in 728.The user then performs the exchange in 730 where the user's spent voltbars are deposited into the same bays, available bays, slots ormechanism for depositing volt bars.

The volt box then communicates with the volt bars via RFID or otherwired or wireless communication method to determine if the correctamounts of depleted volt bars have been deposited in 732. The volt boxalso gathers information regarding the state of each volt bar at thetime of deposit. After the deposit has been completed, the volt boxcalculates if there is a refund or penalty is due to the user or if thetransaction has been completed in 734. If the volt box determines thatdamaged volt bars have been detected, an exception code is sent to theserver at the processing hub that tags the volt box for volt barreplacement service. The volt box communicates data to the server aboutthe transaction including but not limited to where the volt bars weretendered, the charge cycles the volt bar has completed, the user(s) thevolt bar has been used by and other identifying information forreporting metrics and data warehousing. The volt box then places thebay(s) containing the damaged volt bar(s) out of service as well as thevolt bar(s) themselves by deactivating them. If no volt bars in 736 weredetermined to be damaged the use case ends after the server on the voltbox network is updated with the transaction results.

If at 704 the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device determines the requested volt bar/return volt barcombination is not available to fill the user's order, the volt boxinterface will suggest the user request the best available combinationcurrently available at the volt box. 706. If the new quantity isaccepted in 708 then the user continues to 710. If the user does notaccept the new quantity combination for the transaction, the volt boxwill calculate and display using information from the volt box networkwhich of the nearest volt box locations can fill the users requestedvolt bar exchange combination quantity. The volt box will use incentive,load balancing information from the server at the processing hub todisplay the user's options sorted by price, distance and or both in 712.The volt box in 716 will suggest the best value or incentives option forthe user and allow the user to reserve the volt bars at the locationdescribed by the volt box in 716.

If the user does not reserve the volt bars suggested by the volt box theuse case ends without further action, and the server may be updated.However, if the user does accept one of the qualifying volt boxtransaction sites, the volt box sends a request to the volt boxreservation system to hold the volt bars requested at the volt boxlocation indicated for the user while the user tenders payment in 720.(see FIG. 29) The volt box will ask for payment in one of the availableforms including but not limited to cash, pre-paid volt box code or avolt box account number in 740. The volt box will then determine in 742if the payment was successful. If the payment was not successful, thevolt box or application on a network connected device will give the userthe option to try again in 744. If the user does not opt to try againthe volt box will notify the server at the processing hub to release thevolt bars from reservation at the target volt box to make them availablein the general pool of reservable/exchangeable/purchasable volt bars in746. If the payment is successful initially or after subsequent attemptsin 742, then the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device where the payment transaction in was completed willsend a confirmation to the target volt box through the volt box networkto retain the requested amount of volt bars for at least a predeterminednumber of minutes or hours in 748. The volt box will also produce a codefor the user to take to the target volt box to redeem the pre purchasedvolt bar transaction.

In one embodiment, the volt box network may update the user's accountwith reservation data accessible through any network connected device toview metrics and data related to all interactions the user has with thevolt box network. When the user arrives at the target volt box holdingreservation data for the user's transaction, the user will enter thecode to redeem his or her transaction. The volt box will compare thecode to code data on the server through the network to determine thevalidity and dispense as needed in 750. If the user does not perform thetransaction at the target volt box within the allotted time, the voltbars will be released into the available pool and the user will becredited. After the user performs his or her transaction the use caseends without further action, and the servers may be updated.

FIG. 28 illustrates one method of purchase and volt bar dispensing asrequested in FIG. 27, communication of volt bar with volt box and damagedetection with transaction results transmitted to the central hub, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation forthe requested transaction in FIG. 27 with pre-payment and reservationcompletion through the central hub, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention

FIG. 30 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests toreturn volt bars for deposit refund, as well as logic for confirmingvalidity of the request, exception handling, re-routing of the requestand remote reservation for the request, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention by flow 800 with continuation to Hon FIG. 31. In this example, a user requests to return volt bars to avolt box in varying stages of charge for a refund. The return of thevolt bar to a volt box may be triggered by a variety of reasons in 802including but not limited to, exchange for a fully charge volt bar,return for a refund, defective volt bar return, transaction where theuser wishes to purchase a certain amount of volt bars and return ancertain amount of volt bars where the amounts do not necessarily requireto match.

The user deposits volt bars they have previously purchased at a volt boxin 806 at which point the volt box communicates with the volt bars thatwere tendered in 808. The volt bar deposit aggregate information iscollected in 810 including the amount of volt bars deposited among othermetrics. The volt box system then cycles through 1-n volt bars depositedprocessing each one individually in 836 while the number of volt barsleft to process is greater than 0. For each volt bar in 838 the volt boxwill determine if the volt bar tendered is operational or if it ismalfunctioning form. If the volt bar is malfunctioning, the volt boxuses additional data collected from the volt bar and the volt boxnetwork in 840 to determine if the volt bar is within a reasonablecharge/discharge life span. If the volt bar is determined to bereasonably malfunctioning, the user is refunded their escrow previouslypaid to remove the at one point fully charged volt bar from a volt box.

If the volt bar is malfunctioning and is not reasonably at the end ofits life, the user is altered and to volt box network server is updatedwith the issue data and logging information in 844 for the user tofollow up to determine why the volt box did not provide a refund in 848.The volt box then tags itself using the volt box network for service andalerts the hub processing center to add the volt box to the servicerouting system in 850. If the volt bar in 838 was not malfunctioning atthe time of deposit, the system will determine if the volt bar has beenreported stolen in 842. If the volt bar is determined to be stolen usinginformation gathered from the volt bar in conjunction with informationgathered from the server at the hub processing center using the volt boxnetwork, then the user proceeds to 844.

However, if at 842 the volt bar is determined to not be stolen, the voltbox in 846 will confirm that the volt bar meets the criteria for escrowrefund. If the volt bar does not meet the refund criteria, the userproceeds to 844. However, if the volt bar passes all tests and isdetermined in 846 to qualify for a refund in 846, a refund is providedfor the user by adding it to his or her volt box credit account, creditcard or voucher in 852.

FIG. 31 illustrates one method of volt bar return where the volt boxused for return validates the number of volt bars requested to bereturned, the condition of each volt bar tendered, validity of volt barownership as well as the calculation of refund, deposit of refund andservice requests along with transaction results transmitted to thecentral hub, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 illustrates a volt box use case in which a user requests topurchase charging time at a volt box location, as well as logic forconfirming validity of the request, exception handling, re-routing ofthe request and remote reservation for the request, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention by flow 900 with continuation toJ on FIG. 34 and continuation to K on FIG. 33. In this example of theembodiment, a user requests to purchase charging time at a volt boxcharging station where one or more charging stations are present at agiven location in 902 through a central kiosk transaction and paymentsystem.

If the kiosk determines that at least one of the charging stations atthe particular site is available in 904, a transaction price determinedand displayed in a form including but not limited to price per timeunit, price per volt, price per watt or price per amp of charging willbe calculated and displayed to the user based on a floating pricingsystem using an incentive based load balancing algorithm on the volt boxnetwork server in 908. If the user does not accept the quote and pricingoffered by the volt box, 908, the user proceeds to 912. If the volt boxin 914 determines that the user has accepted the pricing presented in908, (see FIG. 34) the volt box will ask for payment for either aspecific amount of time or units the user has requested or pre-qualifiesthe user using a credit card for a maximum transaction and waits todetermine final time or units actually consumed to charge the usersaccount. Alternatively, the user may simply pay cash and the chargepurchased with the amount of cash will dispense until the units or timehas elapsed.

The volt box charging station kiosk will allow payment in one of theavailable forms including but not limited to cash, NFC, credit, pre-paidvolt box code or a volt box credit account number in 934. Alternatively,if the user is reserving/purchasing charging units via application on anetwork connected device, payment will be taken over the network aswell. The volt box will then determine in 936 if the payment wassuccessful. If the payment was not successful, the volt box orapplication on a network connected device will give the user the optionto try to tender payment again in 938. If the user does not opt to tryagain the use case ends, and the volt box and network servers may beupdated with transaction results data. If the payment is successfulinitially or after subsequent attempts in 936, then the volt box, voltbox kiosk or application on a network connected device will make thecharging station available for use and designate their location in thevolt box charging station either visually and or audibly in 940.

The user then performs the connection 942 between the charging stationvia charging cord to a volt bar auxiliary battery unit or directly tothe vehicle's main battery. While charging is progressing in 944, thevolt box charging station communicates the current status of thecharging station to the server on the volt box network to communicatemetrics including but not limited to busy status, free status, estimatedwait time and efficiency among other identifying and measurable data andagain at the conclusion of the transaction. If at 904 the volt box, voltbox kiosk or application on a network connected device determines thereare no charging stations available, the volt box interface will suggestthe user enter a queue and display an estimated wait time in 906. If theuser accepts entering a queue in 910, the user proceeds to 908. If theuser does not accept to enter a queue and agree to the estimated waittime, the volt box interface will calculate and display usinginformation from the volt box network which of the nearest volt boxlocations can fill the users requested charging requirements and providethe option to rent a volt bar to reach the location, the volt bar rentalquantity determined by the distance to the target charging station in912.

The volt box interface will also use incentive, load balancinginformation from the server at the processing hub to display the user'soptions sorted by price, distance and or both in 912. The volt boxinterface in 916 will suggest the best value or incentives option forthe user and allow the user to reserve the charging time/units and orvolt bars at the location described by the volt box interface in 916. Ifthe user does not reserve the volt bars suggested by the volt box theuse case ends without further action, and the server may be updated.However, if the user does accept one of the qualifying volt boxtransaction sites, the volt box sends a request to the volt boxreservation system to hold the volt bars and or charging stationrequested at the volt box location indicated for the user while the usertenders payment in 920 (see FIG. 33).

The volt box interface will ask for payment in one of the availableforms including but not limited to cash, pre-paid volt box code or avolt box account number in 920. The volt box interface will thendetermine in 924 if the payment was successful. If the payment was notsuccessful, the volt box or application on a network connected devicewill give the user the option to try again in 926. If the user does notopt to try again the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on anetwork connected device will notify the server at the processing hub torelease the charging station and or volt bars from reservation at thetarget volt box to make them available in the general pool ofreservable/exchangeable/purchasable volt bars in 928.

If the payment is successful initially or after subsequent attempts in924, then the volt box, volt box kiosk or application on a networkconnected device where the payment transaction in was completed willsend a confirmation to the target volt box through the volt box networkto retain the requested amount of volt bars and or charging station forat least a predetermined number of minutes or hours in 930. The volt boxwill also produce a code for the user to take to the target volt box toredeem the pre purchased volt bar transaction. In one embodiment, thevolt box network may update the user's account with reservation dataaccessible through any network connected device to view metrics and datarelated to all interactions the user has with the volt box network.

When the user arrives at the target volt box holding reservation datafor the user's transaction, the user will enter the code to redeem hisor her transaction. The volt box will compare the code to code data onthe server through the network to determine the validity and dispense asneeded in 932. If the user does not perform the transaction at thetarget volt box within the allotted time, the volt bars and or chargingstation will be released into the available pool and the user will becredited. After the user performs his or her transaction the use caseends without further action.

FIG. 33 illustrates one method of volt box-to-volt box reservation forthe requested transaction in FIG. 32 with pre-payment and reservationcompletion through the central hub, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 34 illustrates one method of volt box location charge timepurchase, visual user cues and central hub update procedure, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 illustrates and example instance of a computer, mobileapplication or network connected device used for two way communication,administration, metric analysis, commerce gateway, loyalty reward statusand administration among other customizable functionality working inconjunction with the volt box network and central hub as viewed by theuser and dependent on details of the user's account, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

This example illustrates a smart phone or network connected deviceoperating system 1000 having a plurality of applications. Oneapplication could be a volt box application 1002. When the user selectsto run the volt box, the volt box application can produce a number ofscreens. For example my volt box screen can include general information1004 regarding the status of a user's current volt bars, the rangeprovided by my volt bars, the closest volt box to my current location,the deals of the day a particular ZIP code or region, any reservations Iwish to make, the gifts they can be made to friends, referrals to andfor friends to purchase volt bars, upgrades to volt bar infrastructure,hardware configuration upgrades or replacements, loyalty points, historyinformation of my purchases, and the carbon footprint produced by theutilization of my volt bars.

Other information screens can also provide the total battery capabilityof each particular volt bar in a user's auxiliary battery carrier orslots on my vehicle 1006. Additional information can also include acarbon footprint graph 1010 showing the utilization of the user's voltbars, and the efficient utilization and purchasing of volt bars withoutrequiring inefficient retrieval of volt bars. For example, if usersobtain volt bars from locations that are near their current location orneed, users reduce the amount of travel time to simply secure volt bars.

This reduction in travel time will cut down the carbon footprintproduced by the simple act of obtaining the volt bars. Mapping functionscan also be used. Maps 1014 can also be overlaid with social networkingdata, to provide additional real-time information about chargelocations, deals, coupons, pricing, and liked kiosk locations. Newsfeeddata can also be accessed from various networks to provide rich databack to the user's application. The application can be run on any smartdevice, and the device can have access to cloud processing for immediatedata interfacing and/or local storage. Data can also be gathered fromother internet sources, such as Wikipedias, Internet search sites etc.,and data can be processed, compiled and presented back to the user'smobile device, vehicle display, etc. The application would also allowthe user to remotely find, reserve and make purchases for a target voltbox, any number of volt bars or charging time/units based on distance,price, zip code etc. in 1012.

Further information can also include loyalty points 1016 for purchasesat various kiosk locations, and show bonuses provided to users thatfrequently utilize the volt bars. Additional dynamic information 1008can be provided through the applications such as suggested travel speedsto conserve energy, maps for routing, better dynamic traffic informationbased on real-time information, and other settings. The user can alsoaccess heat map sourced deals 1018 to show where the network has decidedthat volt bars are accumulating and special discounts are beingprovided, coupon sharing, pricing, upgrade deals, and access to socialnetworks to communicate deals to friends.

The deals to friends can be provided by way of a map that identifies thelocation of your friends and the possibility of giving your friendspecial points or the receipt of loyalty points for referring friends tospecific kiosk locations. Additionally, ride sharing programs can alsoidentify locations where people can be picked up if users desire totravel to the same location or same general area. All of these featurescan be integrated into the mobile app and internet website portals.

By providing this dynamic status information to users, users are betterable to identify kiosk locations to obtain volt bars, and charge, asusers traverse distances utilizing their electric vehicles. Rangeanxiety will thus be all but eliminated. Informed users and the abilityto access charge when needed, solves these problems.

FIGS. 36-38 illustrate examples of an auxiliary battery being insertedinto a compartment of a vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. In this illustration, the auxiliary battery canbe installed into a trunk space of a vehicle, and the trunk space canhave a compartment in the floor of the trunk. The top surface of theauxiliary battery can provide the surface of the trunk, instead of thepreviously defined surface. In one embodiment, auxiliary battery is asingle unit that is installed into a compartment.

In other embodiments, the auxiliary battery can be one compartment thathas multiple smaller compartments for receiving volt bars (chargingunits), or other battery type charging devices. Further, the auxiliarybattery is shown interconnected to the main battery of the vehicle, orto a battery distribution or charge distribution handling unit. In otherembodiments, the auxiliary battery can be inserted into side panels ofthe vehicle, in the front compartment of the vehicle, the floorboard ofthe vehicle, the site support structure of the vehicle, etc.

FIG. 37A illustrates an example of cloud processing technology, whichprovides processing resources to connected vehicles through adistributed network. In one embodiment, the cloud processing cancommunicate with various charging stations using Internet connections,where charge Station metrics can be uploaded to the cloud processingsystem. The charge Station metrics can include availability of chargepumps, charge handles, charge plugs, charge mats (for wirelesscharging), volt bars, or other charge providing facilities.

Examples of such metrics can include the number of charge pumpsavailable at particular period of time, historical availability times ofthe charge pumps, typical charge time estimates at particular chargingstations, prices associated with the charge at the particular chargingstations, feedback from customers through social networks, concerningthe charging stations, and the like. The cloud processing can thenprocess the charge Station status, traffic information associated withlocations around or between charging stations and a user's currentlocation, and provide specific suggested routes. The route generator canprovide guided routes to the various charging stations (e.g., chargelocations), based on the users immediate needs, desire for discounts,sponsored rewards, or the amount of time it will take to obtain accessto a charge pump at a particular point in time. Broadly speaking, adiscount is a reward and a reward is a discount, and a sponsored rewardis a discount that is at least partially paid by another party for thebenefit of the recipient of the reward.

The driver location processor can communicate the information concerningdrivers to the cloud processing logic, so as to provide the mosteffective information concerning charge availability to the variousdrivers. As illustrated in FIG. 37A, various drivers that communicatewith the cloud processing unit can (e.g., over the internet wirelessly)be provided with specific routes or route options. For example, users intheir particular vehicles may have a connected display or a portabledevice having access to the Internet. Based on the users location andcharging needs, (and optionally the destination) the user can beprovided with route options (e.g., one or more optional paths). Theroute options can be, for example, the fastest and most available chargeStation (or charge providing devices) to the users current location, thecheapest charge available at a particular point in time, or informationregarding charge prices for a particular future point in time.

Once the user selects a route option, the route generator can provideinformation concerning the charging station, and can also prepay or booka charging station slot. A charging station slot can include, forexample a parking spot in front of a charging station. The chargingstation slot can be reserved if the user decides to prepay for thecharging station, as a convenience. For example, if charging slots at aparticular charge Station appear to be heavily used, a user canpre-reserve a charging slot ahead of time, so that when the user arrivesat the charging station, the charging slot will be immediatelyavailable. This could be considered a convenience fee associated withpre-reserving of a charging slot, along a particular route. In anotherembodiment, the charging station can provide incentives to users to cometo the particular charging station.

For example, if the user prepays for charge at a particular chargingstation, the charging station can provide a discount on the chargeprovided. For example, if the charging station wishes to fill aplurality a charging slots during a particular slow time, the chargingstation can communicate with the cloud processing and publishavailability of its charging stations per particular period of time. Adatabase associated with cloud processing will hold this information soit can be dynamically updated and accessed in real-time by users to filltheir charging needs of their electric vehicles. During that particularperiod of time, the charging station can offer discounts or rewards tousers so that drivers can decide to visit the charging station insteadof another charging station. Still further, charging stations can offerdiscounts for users to use the particular charging station, and thediscounts can be offered by more than one party or entity. For instance,if the charging stations are located near a particular business, thatparticular business can sponsor discounts or rewards at the chargingstation to drive traffic to or near that particular business. When usersare charging their vehicles at the particular station near theparticular business, users can spend their time at the particularbusiness while there vehicle is being charged.

Potentially, the owners of the particular business that sponsored thediscounts can increase traffic to their business and increase sales. Inanother embodiment, the owners of the particular business can offerdiscounts to their business products or services, if the businessproducts or services or located near or beside the charging station. Aswill be described below, other embodiments can include having chargingstation pumps or handles or plugs, located in nontraditional chargingstation configurations. For example, charging plugs can be installed atvarious nontraditional locations, such as parking lots of retail stores.Other examples locations can include, without limitation, parks, citystreets, parking garages, post offices, government areas, schools,office complexes or campuses, coffee shops, malls, strip malls, boxstore parking lots, beach parking, homes, public roads, etc. If a largeretail store has a large parking lot, a portion of that parking lot canbe dedicated for charging plugs, which can be used by customers whilethe customers shop at the retail location. In such a situation, theowners of the retail store that have charging plugs assigned toparticular parking spots, can publish availability of those chargingplugs through the cloud processing network.

The cloud processing network can then publish availability and pricesfor users that may be driving around, or may be passing by the retailstore along a particular path or route. In some embodiments, the retailstore can offer significant discounts for charge, if users charge theirvehicles at the charging plugs of the retail store. While the userscharge their vehicles, the users may visit the retail store and purchasegoods or services, which is a reward for the retailer that is offeringthe discount for the charge. In still another embodiment, retail storeshaving charge plugs can advertise availability of the charge plugs (andparking spots) in real time, and provide discounts or deals to usersthat may wish to charge at the particular retail location.

The discounts can be for the goods and services of the retail store, orsimple discounts on the charge provided by the charge plugs of theretail store. As noted above, one embodiment would allow the parkingspots having the charge plugs to be reserved in advance, to provideadditional convenience to users. In such a configuration, the parkingspots can include mechanical barriers that lift and close to allowvehicles to come into and leave the particular parking spots. Thus if aparking spot is reserved, the mechanical barrier can remain closed untilthe vehicle having the code can communicate access to lift themechanical barrier so that charging can commence immediately uponarriving at the reserved parking spot. In another embodiment, thecharging station or plug can include a monitor or display that indicateswhether or not the charging plug is reserved.

If the charging plug is reserved, no other user can park in front of theparking spot, or else will receive a ticket or fine for parking in aparking spot that's been reserved. The parking spot reservation forcharge can be made in advance, such as while user is driving aroundlooking for charge and the reservation is made by smart phone, or anintegrated device of the vehicle that has access to the Internet. Thetransaction can also allow a user that is searching for charge to prepayfor the charge using a graphical user interface or other exchangemechanism, associated with the route and reservation of a particularcharge station or slot. In some embodiments, the charge stations orplugs can be placed in shared parking lots or locations where multipleretail outlets reside.

In such a case, multiple retailers can provide discounts to users tocome and use the charging stations located at the retailers locations.These discounts can then be published to the cloud processing logic.These discounts can also be published dynamically at the request of theprovider of the charge, using an Internet portal, that allows the userto participate in a network of charge stations that provide discounts.In such embodiments, the discounts can be provided by multiple retailersfor their goods and services, and the plug can be located in the sharedparking lot. Having this information, the cloud processing cancommunicate with a route generator to generate various routes (e.g.,paths) that are optimized to the user's desired outcome.

The optimization can be to route a user for charge along a plurality ofcharge stations or plugs that provide discounts. If this is the goal ofthe user, the route may be longer than other routes, but the discountsmay be greater. Such routes may be viewed as a sponsored path, thatrequires a user to traverse a particular route in order to obtain chargefor their vehicle. The sponsored routes can change dynamically overtime, as sponsors decide to add or remove discounts. Thus, a user thatfinds a good path may wish to buy now, to avoid losing the discount. Ifa particular charge station or charge plug has a lot of customers duringa particular period to time, the discounts may drop dynamically. If thecharge plug for station experiences low activity, the discounts may beincreased dynamically. The dynamic adjustment of discounts can occurbased on a preset number of rules (e.g., what discount, where offered,when offered, how long it lasts, incentives for fast buy, logic forcombining discounts, logic for sharing costs of discounts with others,logic for reducing the cost of the charge, etc.), as set by the providerthe charge and/or the sponsor.

FIG. 37B illustrates an example of a charge station and its metrics, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisexample, the charge station has 10 plugs and 6 plugs are in use at aparticular period of time. The charge station can also have historicaldata that can provide estimates of when charge plugs would be available.Additionally, the charge station metrics can also provide charge costestimates, which can be adjusted dynamically over time.

The cost for the charge can also be provided with a green rating, whichsignifies how efficient the charge station is in supplying charge, andthe location and source of the charge provided by the charging station.If the charging station obtains charge from wind power, the green ratingwould be high. If the charge station receives its charge from fossilfuels, the green rating may be lower. If the charging station receivesis charge from a variety of different sources, whether solar, wind, orfossil fuel, the green rating can be adjusted. This metric informationcan then be provided to the cloud processing to allow users of electricvehicles to decide whether or not to visit a particular charge stationor charge plug.

In some embodiments, the price of the charge may be more expensive ifthe green rating is very high, but the charge value to the user may behigh, if the user wishes to obtain a very high green rating, and a lowercarbon footprint.

FIG. 37C illustrates an example of route options for driver A, as shownin FIG. 30A, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.In this example, a display screen can be provided in the vehicle whichwould allow the user to be informed of where charge is available now fora certain price. The user can select to get a map route, get informationregarding distance, get information regarding discounts, reserved chargeplugs are stations, cancel request, or show lower rate charge optionsand distances associated with obtaining the lower cost charge.

This is only one example of the various options provided to the userthrough a graphical user interface. As noted above, the graphical userinterface can be integrated with the vehicle, or can be part of a smartdevice that communicates with the vehicle. The smart device thatcommunicates with the vehicle can communicate using wireless technologyso that metrics associate with the vehicle and location of the vehiclecan be obtained and then communicated to the cloud processing toexchange information.

FIG. 38 illustrates one example of metrics data that can be obtained bya transportation vehicle (TV), and communication to and from othernetworked TVs, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. In this example, information can be obtained from aparticular vehicle, such as service and repair history, whether user iswilling to sell or exchange the vehicle, the replacement cost of thevehicle versus repairing the vehicle, the replacement part cost of avehicle, parts to replace for vehicle (as known from historical data ofthe same vehicle, or based on a current malfunction), the fuel rates,fuel locations for charge, route generators, modification suggestionsfor driving to increase performance, accident avoidance data, comparablevehicle current market price, recall information for the currentvehicle, etc.

This information can be obtained from the vehicle or from the users ofthe vehicle. This information can also be obtained by the cloudprocessing which communicate with other systems connected to theInternet. Other systems can be data stores for information concerningthe same vehicle, historical data concerning potential breakdown of thevehicle, price estimates of the vehicle, marketplace data concerningexchange the vehicle, etc. This information can be provided at thevehicle to the user through a computer user interface. On demand, theuser can determine whether it's worthwhile to exchange the vehicle foranother vehicle, and the potential of the current vehicle to break down.

Furthermore, the user may decide that it's time to exchange the vehiclefor new vehicle, and market rates for the current vehicle based onactual vehicle data of the user's vehicle, can be used to identify itscurrent market price. The current market price for replacement vehiclecan also be obtained dynamically, and comparable data can be presentedto the user in the user interface. Accordingly, the user would not haveto input information concerning its vehicle into the user interfacesimply to figure out what the market price is. The data concerning thevehicle is inherently collected and stored in the vehicle memory basedon vehicle use, age, accidents, condition, etc. Additionally,information concerning available vehicles near the user which may be forsale can also be attained dynamically and in real time.

For example if the user wishes to replace the vehicle, the user cansimply click a button, select an icon, touch a screen, speak a command,gesture an input, etc., to figure out what his vehicle value is, thecost of a replacement vehicle, and the total cost after exchange. Thisinformation can be useful to the user in deciding whether or not totrade in the vehicle or remain with the current vehicle and makeinvestments in repairs. As shown, the data exchange between vehicles andthe vehicles and the cloud processing can be extensive, but suchinformation can be made available to drivers of those vehicles to makeinformed decisions.

FIG. 39 illustrates an example of various paths that a driver can makebetween point A and point B. For example, point A can be the currentlocation of a vehicle, and point B can be the destination that thevehicle user wishes to traverse. If the user needs to travel to point Bfrom point A, the system in the vehicle, as connected to the cloudprocessing, can determine various paths to take between A and B. In oneembodiment, the user wishes to traversed directly to point B, and doesnot wish to receive any sponsor discount along the path.

This path would then generate a recommendation to the user to charge thevehicle at charging station C1. In another embodiment, the user may wishto traverse the path between A and B, but receive some sponsoredassistance in the charge or discount on a good or service. In thisexample, the system can generate a path between A and B, where the usermay stop and charge at charging station C2 (or plug location). In thisembodiment, the system will calculate that the user can traverse frompoint A to C2 with the current charge availability in the vehicle, andthen arrive at point B. In another embodiment, the user may wish toselect a different path 2, which is also a sponsored path that takes theuser to charging stations or plugs C3 and C4, before reaching point B.

In this example, the user may have received additional discounts fromthe providers of the charge at C3 and C4, or from a sponsor thatsponsored a discount at the charging stations or plugs C3 and C4. Inthis example, a retail outlet that sits proximate to the chargingstation or charging plugs can provide a discount to the users to chargetheir vehicles at C3 and C4, or they can provide a discount at theretail outlet, which would be proximate to the location of C3 and C4.The discount provided by the various retailers that sponsored thecharging stations can be dynamically posted, so that drivers can obtaincurrent and real-time discounts as they drive around and look forcharge.

The drivers can also be provided with information of the duration of thediscount, so that drivers can obtain the discount if they have the timeto traverse the path, or avoid the path if the discount will not bepresent when the driver arrives at that application. In anotherembodiment, the logic in the vehicle or the processing system in thecloud processing can determine whether or not the user would be able toarrive at each of the charging stations or plugs to receive the sponsordiscounts. This analysis can include, for example, reviewing trafficpatterns, travel speeds and estimates to traversed the differentdistances, time of day, etc.

In another embodiment, the user may select to traverse path 3, whichtakes the user to charge provider C5 and C6 before progressing on pathB. In this illustration, it is shown that the user must go off path totravel to charge C6. However, it may be more beneficial for the user totravel to charge C6, as that location is offering a larger discount. Insome embodiments, even though the user travels off path, the discountsoffset the cost of going off path. In some embodiments, going off pathcan actually be faster if the particular charge stations or pumps orplugs are more available and there is less wait. In still anotherembodiment, the user may not actually have a path in mind, and the usermay select to simply obtain charge and would be provided with path 4.

In this example, the users looking to charge the vehicle along a paththat is sponsored. A currently sponsored path may be to charge C7. Theuser can be provided with an option of charge discounts, which caninclude discounting the cost of the charge itself, or discounts toretail or service providers that are proximate to the charge outlet. Insuch an embodiment, the data can be provided to the display of theuser's car or vehicle, or can be provided to the user's device. Forexample, if the user wishes to obtain charge, and the user is currentlysitting in his or her office, (and the car is in the parking lot) theuser can select it obtain a sponsored path to obtain charge. Thatsponsored path can identify the closest station, or a number of stationsor plugs their offering particular discounts.

In some embodiments, the discounts are provided by a combination of thecharge station and retail shops nearby. In other embodiments, the retailshops and plugs/charge providers can provide combined packages ofdiscounts, which could drive users to their location. Accordingly, itshould be understood that the dynamic generation of paths can besponsored, such that the user can be provided with identification ofcharging locations along a particular path, and the discounts that maybe provided along those particular paths.

FIG. 40 illustrates an example of data that can be provided orassociated with the various paths describe in FIG. 39, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the path that isdisplayed by the system of the vehicle, or the processing provided bythe cloud processing, can provide information that is displayed to theuser.

Again, the information displayed to the user can be displayed in thevehicle's display screen or can be displayed on the users display device(e.g. smart phone, computer, tablet, etc.). In this example, path 1 canbe selected such that the user simply wishes to obtain charge and thepath is not a sponsored path. In this example, the user is provided withinformation, such as the mapping of the path, whether the reward orsponsor is provided, the estimated trip time with charge stop, andestimated cost. This information is generated dynamically for theparticular point in time when the user wishes to obtain charge. In path1, the number stops is still 1, but the sponsored path is sponsored bybig coffee company.

Big coffee company is going to provide a $2 off charge discount to theuser, which lowers the price from $10 to $8 for the charge. The timeincrease in the charge time is only 2 min., but the discount was $2. Forsome people, the discount is not sufficient to overcome the additionalamount of time taken to obtain the discount, but for others, thediscount is sufficient. Sponsored path 2, illustrates that stops areprovided and the sponsors are a quick stop market and a big coffee shop.The discount in this scenario is $4 off of the charge bill. Theestimated time is now 17 min., which is 5 min. longer than anunsponsored path, but the discount is $4 off a $10 non-sponsored charge.

Path 3 illustrates an example where there are 2 stops, and the sponsorsare box store and big coffee company. In this example, the discount is$5 off the charge bill. And the estimated time with charge stopped isalso 17 min., while the total cost to the user for the charge would be$5. Path 4 would be another sponsored path where the number of stops is0 between the current location and the charge location. In this example,the path is sponsored by big coffee company.

Big coffee company is providing a $1 off the charge bill (or a freecoffee or discount on coffee), and the estimated time with chargestopped is 5 min. This example would be one where the user simply wishesto obtain charge now, but also wishes to obtain a discount. Mapinformation (e.g., dynamically generated maps (street and satellite) ona display using internet provider data) can also be displayed on theusers device or vehicle display, including any other options anddiscounts provided. This information can be provided using a globalpositioning map, with turn by turn directions, voice directions, voiceactivation, etc. Voice input and voice output is also possible forproviding information regarding the sponsored paths. As the discountschanged during the day or different times, the different map options canalso change. The providers of the discounts can also dynamically changeyour discounts over time based on the desired need to drive traffic totheir locations or charge spots.

Accordingly, the generated maps/paths for users are incentivized toprovide the user with the desired sponsored path for obtaining charge.Broadly speaking and without limitation, obtaining charge will includeplugging the vehicle into a charging receptacle so as to charge thenative battery of the vehicle. In another embodiment, obtaining chargecan also include refilling on volt bars to replenish volt bars that havebeen used during the vehicle usage. In other embodiments, charge can betransferred to a vehicle wirelessly (e.g., without plugging in an outletor receptacle). Examples can include a transfer surface that the vehicleparts over, and the charge can be transferred wirelessly to the vehiclevia conductors on the underside of the vehicle. The vehicle can simplypark in the slot and once payment is made, the charge can start to flowcapacitively or wirelessly to the electric vehicle.

As can be appreciated, the sponsored path process can provide a quickand efficient manner for allowing the user to identify their desiredendpoint, and provide options for traversing a path to that and point.Along that endpoint, the user can be provided with discounts for chargeby sponsors, which can influence or drive people to their chargingoutlets. The discounts can also be provided in a hybrid manner, such asproviding discounts for the charge and discounts with in the retailoutlets that are located proximate to the charging stations.

Providing this information to drivers in real time is efficient for bothdrivers and the retail locations. Drivers in their electric vehicleswill need charge, and providers of the charge will benefit from drivingusers to their location. If the user is still progressing along theirdesired path, the providers of the discount are simply providing aservice and driving customers to their location, where the drivers maypurchase other goods and services while the vehicle is being charged.

Sponsored paths can therefore take on various forms, depending on theuser's desire to seek faster charge times, lower charge rates, or evenobtain charge for free. If the provider of the charge plug or thesponsor the charge plug wishes to pay for the charge altogether, thesponsored path can identify those particular charge locations andprovide the user with options to traversed that path along their desiredjourney from point A to point B.

In one embodiment, the sponsored paths may be generated on electronicsand circuitry of the vehicle, or by processing in the cloud processingsystem (e.g. networked Internet systems). In some embodiments, thesponsor paths may be processed partially on the vehicle and partially onthe cloud processing system. In some embodiments, the sponsored pathswould be dynamically generated on the cloud processing system, and thevehicle or smart phone of the user would simply connect to the cloudprocessing system.

The data exchange can therefore be dynamically set to be real time, suchthat providers of the discounts, providers of the charge, and drivers ofthe vehicles can exchange information. In this example, the provided tothe charge can provide discount information, incentives, etc., and thedrivers of the vehicles can provide information concerning their desiredpaths. The processing system can then generate a plurality of optionsfor the user to traverse from point A to point B. For example, the usercan select to traverse a sponsored path, to a particular address. Thedisplay the vehicle can then requested the user identify whether or nota sponsored path is desired.

If the sponsored path is desired, the vehicle to provide one or moreoptions for traversing the path, and the metrics associated withtraversing the various types of paths, as shown in FIG. 40. Thisinformation can also be provided to the user via voice input and voiceoutput, to avoid excessive display data inside of a vehicle. In oneembodiment, instead of relying on the user to request a sponsored path,the information regarding sponsored paths can be automatically pushed tothe electric vehicle as the vehicle is driven around. For instance, if areward is being offered ahead of the driving path, the navigation systemcan inform the user “You will need charge in X miles, and a reward X isbeing offered if you charge at location X in two miles.” Thesenotifications can be pushed to the electric vehicle dynamically, andpresented to the user's display on demand or can be provided as alert tothe user. The alerts can be voice alerts, sound alerts, dashboard icons,gauges, or combinations thereof. Thus, the information regardingavailability of charge and any rewards can be obtained dynamically bythe user on demand or can be provided to the user dynamically using pushnotification. The notification method can also be programmed by theuser, so that the notification is best received.

It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the presentinvention may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process operations have not beendescribed in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the presentinvention.

Embodiments of the present invention may be practiced with variouscomputer system configurations including hand-held devices,microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. Theinvention can also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a wire-based or wireless network.

With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that theinvention could employ various computer-implemented operations involvingdata stored in computer systems. These operations are those requiringphysical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared andotherwise manipulated.

Any of the operations described herein that form part of the inventionare useful machine operations. The invention also relates to a device oran apparatus for performing these operations. The apparatus can bespecially constructed for the required purpose, or the apparatus can bea general-purpose computer selectively activated or configured by acomputer program stored in the computer. In particular, variousgeneral-purpose machines can be used with computer programs written inaccordance with the teachings herein, or it may be more convenient toconstruct a more specialized apparatus to perform the requiredoperations.

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on acomputer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any datastorage device that can store data, which can thereafter be read by acomputer system. The computer readable medium can also be distributedover a network-coupled computer system so that the computer readablecode is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certainchanges and modifications can be practiced within the scope of theappended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is notto be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified withinthe scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing charge options to driversof electric vehicles, comprising, receiving, by a server, data fromcomputers connected to charge locations concerning availability forproviding charge by a charge station; receiving, by the server,sponsored rewards to be offered by the charge locations, the sponsoredrewards changing over time based on data defined by entities providingthe sponsored rewards for specific charge locations; receiving, by theserver, a request from processing logic of an electric vehicle, therequest identifying an inquiry to obtain charge; receiving, by theserver, a current location of the electric vehicle; determining, by theserver, charge locations in proximity to the current location of theelectric vehicle; communicating automatically by pushing data, by theserver, to the processing logic of the electric vehicle regarding atleast one of the charge locations and a sponsored reward for the atleast one of the charge locations for the current location of theelectric vehicle, a path is definable to the at least one of the chargelocations having said sponsored reward, the sponsored reward isavailable for a predefined period of time and available when the requestfrom the processing logic of the electric vehicle was received by theserver, the communicated data includes a command to display informationvia a graphical user interface regarding the path that identifies the atleast one of the charge locations and information regarding thesponsored reward before selection is made for one of said chargelocations, the path being one of a plurality of paths provided asoptions for illustrating tradeoffs between distance to said chargelocations and types of said sponsored rewards for each of said paths,and each of said paths identifying a respective one of said chargelocations and sponsored reward associated to said charge locations;receiving, by the server, selection of one of the charge locations fromthe electric vehicle; and receiving a reservation request for theselected charge location; communicating, by the server, with thecomputer of the charge location to confirm the reservation request, thecomputer of the charge location controls positioning of a mechanicalbarrier for a parking spot at the charge location to enable the vehicleto obtain charge, the mechanical barrier acting to hold the parking spotfor the vehicle.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, providingby the server, for the path, an estimated trip time with charge stop forobtaining charge at the at least one of the charge locations and anestimated cost with sponsored reward, wherein the estimated trip time isgenerated dynamically for a particular point in time from when therequest was received.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sponsoredreward provides either a reduction in cost of the charge to betransferred to the electric vehicle, or a credit for goods or servers ofa merchant proximate to the charge location, or credit points toward alarger reward that is earned over time.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the sponsored reward changes in value over time based on demandfor charge at particular charge locations; wherein the processing logicof the electric vehicle communicates with a portable device associatedwith the vehicle and the portable device communicates with the serverdirectly or via the processing logic of the electric vehicle.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising, receiving, by the server from theprocessing logic of the electric vehicle, a desired end point of travel,communicating by the server to the processing logic of the vehicleadditional charge locations and associated sponsored rewards along oneor more paths to the desired end point of travel.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein two or more entities provide sponsored rewards at one of thecharge locations to define a combined package of discounts.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising, receiving pre-payment data forpaying for charge associated with the reservation request.